Fire and Water
by ninewood
Summary: A sequel to Going to Chapel, Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, now Ellie Benson, investigate a murder with the help of DI Peter Carlisle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A soft beeping sound alerted him as Alec Hardy looked down at the screen and pushed the buttons. Sweat made his Ironman t-shirt stick to his chest and back as he kept running and his jean shorts clung to his thighs and bottom. He was wearing his white converse sneakers as he looked down then at the screen and the soft beeping sound grew louder.

Four years ago he nearly died from heart arrhythmia and having a pacemaker implanted in his chest was enough of a wakeup call for him to take better care of himself.

When his cardiologist told him a year ago that he was taking him off the strict diet he was on and he could start cardio-rehab, he spent three months trying to find a treadmill he liked and went twice a week to the local gym. He never thought himself out of shape, but he did admit he felt better than he had in a long time.

The treadmill started to slow down as he went from a mild run to a slow walking pace then stopped and looked down at the screen. Checking the readout on the small screen, he noticed that his heart and pulse rates were normal as he sighed and removed the plastic clip from the tip of his left index finger and removed the wristband from around his right wrist.

Picking the towel off the floor, he wiped his face and neck when a chirping sound made him turn around and look at the kitchenette island. Placing the towel around his neck, Alec walked to the kitchenette island when he opened his laptop and looked at the screen. On the screen was a picture of his former DS and sometime friend, Ellie, and her two sons, Fred and Tom, and he tilted his head to one side. They were smiling while kneeling next to a small sand castle and he brushed the hair out of his eyes while a small smile appeared on his face.

The video chat icon was blinking as he moved his finger over the touch pad and the cursor moved toward the video chat icon. He tapped his finger on the touch pad as the video chat window appeared and he waited for the laptop to connect to the video chat. The screen crackled for a few seconds when a blonde haired woman appeared on the screen and she softly smiled at him.

"Hello, Jackie," Alec sighed.

"You sound a little winded. You ok?" his ex-wife asked with concern in her voice while he placed his elbows on the kitchenette counter top and looked over his shoulder at the treadmill then back at the screen.

"Aye, I was just on the treadmill," he said and she softly giggled. "What's so funny?"

"I bought you a treadmill for your birthday, remember?"

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head. "Bloody thing ended up where we placed the laundry basket and wet towels."

"Yeah," she said when he noticed the look on her face and blinked his eyes a few times.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"You havenae called me in a year and that was tae tell me the time for Lexi's birthday party," he said in reference to their daughter, Alexandra.

"Yeah, well, I just thought I'd warn you."

"Warn me?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face. Before she could say anything, a soft knocking sound filled the air and he turned to look at the door. Lightly pushing off the kitchenette island, he walked to the door as the knocking sound happened again and he looked through the peephole. Frowning, he moved the deadbolt back when he opened the door and leaned on the doorframe.

"Hi, Daddy," his daughter said as he blinked his eyes a few times and tilted his head to one side. Like her mother, Alexandra Hardy had blonde hair, but she also had his chocolate brown eyes and those eyes were red from crying. A pair of suitcases sat near her feet as he looked down at them then at her and she brushed some hair from her eyes. Before he could move, she slid her arms around his waist then placed her head against his chest and he looked down at her. "You stink."

"I was on the treadmill," he said softly when she left go and he stood back to allow her to come in. She placed the suitcases on the floor while he closed and locked the door and leaned against it, crossing one ankle over the other. She walked to the kitchenette island when she looked at the laptop and Jackie looked at her.

"Hello, Honey," Jackie said and Alexandra sighed, leaning against the kitchenette island. Alec kicked off the door when he walked closer then looked at the laptop then at Alexandra.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Do you remember Jack?" Alexandra asked in reference to her boyfriend, Jack Lexington. She had met Jack while she was at medical school and both of them were studying cardiology. Alec knew that he was the reason she was studying to be a cardiologist and he nodded his head. "We're not dating anymore."

"What did he do?" Alec asked as he felt his heart thumping hard in his chest and anger bubbled inside him. Alexandra must have noticed the anger in his eyes as she sighed and brushed the hair from her face.

"I knew this was a mistake," she said then started to walk toward the suitcases and he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked at him as his face softened and he moved her toward him then held her by the shoulders.

"Dinnae let this stop you," he said while pointing to his chest and she placed her hand against him, barely feeling his heart beating. "Tell me what he did."

"It was my fault really," she said then looked down and he lifted her chin up. She knew that there were a lot of women who would melt if he looked at them with those worried eyes as she sighed and balled her hands into fists. "We had a row a month ago and…"

"And?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Memories of his parents' rows echoed in his head as he sighed and Alexandra gently stroked some hair behind his right ear.

"It was the usual rubbish. He accused me of being more concerned about my studies then him, but I told him he was wrong. I love…loved him, but he kept insisting that I had to choose between me being with him or me becoming a doctor," she said and Alec looked at the laptop. Jackie seemed to be thinking the same thing as she sighed and he barely nodded his head. Both of them knew that, besides his ill health, Alec was also more married to his job then her and that was what led to her affair. It was that affair that compromised the Sandbrook case and Alec sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"What happened after you broke up?"

"I decided to concentrate on my studies and stayed away from him. But, last night, when I came back early from study group, I found…."

"Let me guess. You found him in bed with someone?" he asked and Alexandra gave him a slightly shocked look. She forgot that he used to be a DI so he would be able to tell what she wasn't saying and she lowered her head, nodding.

"It was my roommate. They had been seeing each other since the breakup and she told me that she didn't think I was coming back until after the library closed," she said and he looked straight ahead. "Daddy, are you ok?"

No, he wasn't ok. His heart thumped harder and the anger roared through him like some sort of wild beast. He wanted to punch something as he balled his hands into fists then closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose a few times to calm his heart down.

"Daddy?" she asked when he looked at her and saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm nae ok. I am fucking furious," he growled and wiped her tears away. His anger changed into regret as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm nae mad at you. I'm mad at him."

"So am I," Jackie said as he looked at the screen and knew the look on her face. He had been on the receiving end of her angry face as he rubbed Alexandra's back and Jackie sighed. "That's why I suggested she come and stay with you for a bit."

"And her headmaster is ok with that?" he asked, looking at Alexandra.

"Um…," she said as he looked at the screen and Jackie scrunched up her face while making a soft hissing sound.

"What?"

"We, um, we sort of lied to him," Jackie said and he gave her a wide eyed look.

"What did you tell him?"

"We told him that I had to come here to look after you," Alexandra said and felt his heart jump.

"Hold on. You told him I was sick?" Alec asked with a puzzled look on his face and Jackie half smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "He knows about…"

"He knows that I have a heart condition and thinks I had an attack?" he asked as he let go of Alexandra and started pacing. Jackie admitted that she liked watching Alec while he paced back and forth then stopped and folded his arms over his chest. "I cannae believe you did that!"

"It was the only thing we could think of," Alexandra said and he looked at her then snorted a laugh.

"Bloody marvelous," he said while shaking his head and both of them looked at him with confused looks on their faces.

"So it's ok if I stay?" Alexandra said and he nodded his head.

"Ok then. Bye," Jackie said then ended the voice chat and Alec turned the laptop off. He closed the laptop then looked at Alexandra as she picked up the suitcases and headed for the small hallway. He watched her going into the guest bedroom when a knocking sound filled the air and he looked at the door.

"Now what?" he asked while walking to the door and looked through the peephole. Opening the door enough to see outside, he looked at the woman standing there and a wave of anger rumbled in his chest.

"Hello, Alec," Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson said as he glared at her and she sighed.

"What do you want?"

"I would like to come in."

"No," he said then closed the door and frowned. He knew that he was ill, but she was the one who forced him to retire after finding out about his condition and he turned on his heels, heading for his bedroom. Alexandra was using the guest bedroom and he was half across the room when Elaine knocked on the door again. Growling, he stormed to the door, opened the door and glared at her. "I said no!"

"I heard you. I really need to talk to you," Elaine said as he sighed and rolled his eyes. Wiping his face with the towel, he pulled the door open and leaned against the doorframe. Elaine glanced up and down at his body, but it was his shaggy, nearly shoulder length hair that surprised her. She knew Alec had a shaggy look, but this actually looked sexy and he titled his head to one side, giving her an angry look.

"What do you want?"

"Nice to see you, too," she said as she walked by him and he closed and locked the door. She looked around the room while he appeared next to her and she crinkled her nose. "You stink."

"I was using that," he said with a nod to the treadmill then crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "You said you needed tae talk so talk."

"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"

"No. Look, I'm sort of in the middle of something so just say what you have tae say then leave," Alec said as he walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. He took out a bottle of water when he nearly tore the cap off and slugged down some water. He didn't feel dizzy as much as angry as he closed the door and looked at Elaine. She was sitting on the couch as he walked closer and stood in front of her. She noticed how well he had filled out since she had seen him last and he glared at her. "I'm waiting."

"I see that you haven't lost your charm. Sit down," she said and he sighed, sitting on the other end of the couch. She turned to face him as he sipped on the water and she placed her hands in her lap. "I have come here to offer you your old job back."

"What?" he asked, squinting his eyes and a frown appeared on his face.

"I want to offer you your old job back. I mean you can't be happy just being a police consultant."

"No, I'm bloody bored."

"Let me tell you why I'm making this offer. If you aren't interested then I'll go," she said as he sipped on the water and looked at her with a blank look on his face.

"Go on. I'm listening," he said, placing his left arm on the top of the couch.

"I have been given the task of finding a new senior detective inspector for a precinct in a town that is not only going to lose its police department, but its SOCO and ME departments. It has nothing to do with budget cuts or anything like that. It has to do with the SDI they have now. He has turned into a tyrant. The head office has received numerous complaints and the SOCO and ME departments in this town are threatening to quit," she said and he gave her a blank look.

"And the only SDI you could think of is me?" he asked, sipping on the water.

"Yes, and the reason I picked you is because they'll listen to you."

"They will?" he asked as he got a puzzled look on his face and thought for a few seconds. If they would listen to him then it meant he had worked with them before. He had been consulting for a few nearby precincts, but they seemed fine and the only one he knew that was in trouble was…. "Hold on. You're nae talking…"

"Yes," she said with a nod of her head and he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"What do I have tae do if I accept your offer?"

"Well, you will need to see the department doctor…."

"Nae him again," he sighed and she softly smiled.

"If he says you're fine…."

"I'm fine. Believe me," he said and she saw a look in his eyes that made her believe him.

"The other thing is you need a haircut," she teased and he ruffled his hair. "I mean you look like the Ghost of Christmas Present from Nan's Christmas Carol."

"It's nae that bad," he said with a sour look on his face.

"Well, are you going to take me up on my offer?" she asked as he looked at her and took a long drink of water.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

DI William Drake never expected to be liked. He ran a tight ship and ruled with a heavy hand. It took years of hard work to get to where he was and he would be damned if he was going to allow anyone to stand in his way. When he had taken over for DI Greg Kelly after he died in a car accident a year ago, he knew his subordinates were not as well organized as he thought and had totally changed their routines. It was true there had been some complaints, and he had been brought to task by Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson, but he knew what he was doing and looked around the room from the inner office doorway. He turned when his phone rang then he walked to the desk and picked the receiver off the cradle.

"DI Drake, how may I help you?" he asked when he heard a soft sigh and leaned against the desk.

"This is Chief Superintendent Jenkinson," she said and he stood up straight like she was in the room.

"Chief," he said and nearly saluting.

"Are you in front of the television?" she asked.

"No, is there something I need to see?"

"Yes, and, if I were you, I would pay close attention," she said then ended the call and he looked at the receiver. He had no idea what was going on as he placed the receiver back on the cradle and headed for the door.

Ellie stood with the rest of her friends while PC Bob Daniels stood next to her and the squad room had gathered around the large screen television. The local news channel was reporting live in front of the precinct as the reporter stood in front of the camera and Ellie saw there were other news crews there as well. A podium was behind the reporter and she wondered what was going on. There had been rumors going around that the precinct could be shut down, but that would leave Broadchurch without a police department and Bob gently nudged her with his elbow.

"I hope you have your resume up to date," he said softly and Ellie sighed, folding her arms across her body.

When Alec was forced to resign, none of them thought they would find a replacement as good as he was. She did admit that Alec was a cold fish and a right bastard at first, but it took him nearly dying while solving Danny Latimer's murder to show there was more to him then a rough exterior.

She also admitted that his replacement, DI Greg Wilcox, was nice enough. He had an open door policy if they needed to talk to him and she estimated that it took a month before they accepted him.

Her mind flashed back to the night when SOCO Brian Young called her to tell her that Greg and his wife were killed in a car accident. It had rained the day of the funeral and she sighed, looking at the television. She didn't see DI Drake appear next to her as he glanced at her and she looked at the floor.

When she was a rookie, she had a tough captain, but no one was as bad as DI William Drake. He was insulting. He criticized everything. He fought with the ME department and the SOCO. What made bile rise in her throat was the day he told her flat out that she would never get promoted due to "the incident" involving her husband. She knew that was illegal, but she also felt that he was right. She was amazed she still had a job after what happened, but now it looked like she was about to become unemployed.

"Will someone tell me what the hell's going on?" DI Drake asked as he looked at them then at the television and frowned.

"No idea, Sir," Bob said when the reporter turned and looked at someone coming down the stairs.

"It appears that we are about to start as Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson approaches the podium," Ellie said while the camera made a close up of Elaine's face and she sighed, looking straight ahead.

"Thank you all for coming. As you must have heard, this precinct, as well as the local SOCO and ME departments, is at risk of shutting down. I assure you that this has nothing to do with budget cuts. The reason behind this decision is based on numerous complaints filed at the head office by not only the town, but the precinct itself as well as the local SOCO and ME departments. We have fully investigated these complaints and it is the decision of the head office that this precinct, as well as the SOCO and ME departments, will stay open, but the senior DI of this precinct is to be replaced immediately with someone better suited for the job," she said as DI Drake's face turned bright crimson and he breathed hard and fast through his nose.

"What?!" he snarled as they looked at him and Ellie stepped away from him. Elaine was taking questions in regards about the complaints and DI Drake's replacement as he watched her then headed for the squad room door, leaving the room.

"This is going to be messy," Bob said as they looked at the screen and Ellie wondered who DI Drake's replacement was going to be.

"If there are not further questions, I would like to….," Elaine said as DI Drake stormed toward her, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, not caring that the cameras were pointed at them, and she saw the anger in his eyes.

"I was about to announce your replacement," she said as she pulled away from him then looked at the cameras.

"You can't do this!"

"It has already been decided."

"I will protest!"

"I don't think you'll have a case now that you've thrown this tantrum," she said and he glared at her then at the cameras. "As I was saying, I would like to introduce you to the new senior DI for this precinct, DI Alec Hardy."

"Are they bloody serious?!" Bob asked as the others looked at each other and Ellie softly smiled.

"What?" DI Drake growled as Alec appeared at the bottom of the stairs and he glared at Alec.

Alec' hair was cut short and styled with the fringe brushed to the right and he wore a dark suit, a white shirt, a dark tie and black shoes and socks. Stubble covered his cheeks and neck as he looked at the cameras then frowned when he heard muffled cheering. He glanced up at the windows when he saw Ellie and the others standing at the windows and she was smiling down at him. With angry eyes, he barely motioned with his head for them to get back to work as they walked away and he sighed. Clenching his jaw, he walked up the stairs while the photographers took his picture and he stood in front of the podium.

"Chief," he said with a slight bow to Elaine then walked up the stairs to stand beside her and Elaine held her hand out. They shook hands then she pointed to the podium and he looked at it. He didn't know he had to say something as he sighed and placed his hands on either side of the podium.

"How does it feel to be back on the job?" Maggie Radcliffe, the owner and publisher of the Broadchurch Echo, asked and he looked at her. Maggie and Ellie's nephew, Olly, were the only members of the press he felt comfortable talking to as he frowned and made a soft cough.

"Well, I have been working as a police consultant for a while now, but being a DI again is….," he said then stopped and looked down. He was never comfortable talking in front of people as he closed his eyes for a few minutes then opened them. "It feels good."

"I think that's all for now. Thank you for coming," Elaine said as she placed her hand on Alec' shoulder and the reporters and camera crew headed down the stairs. They waited until everyone was gone when Alec started breathing again and DI Drake glared at him.

"This is fucking nuts!" DI Drake said while looking at Elaine and balled his hands into fists. "You're replacing me with this joke?! Have you forgotten what he did in Sandbrook?!"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?!" Elaine demanded. "DI Hardy was chosen after a long debate about if this precinct was going to be kept open and he is more than capable in running it, unlike a certain someone."

"He's one shock away from being a corpse!" DI Drake shouted, waving his arms in the air.

"He is not!"

"He's also standing right here," Alec finally said and gave them a stern look. His heart was slamming against his sternum, but wasn't painful as he gave Elaine a small nod and walked to the stairs. "Now if you will excuse me."

Elaine watched with a smile on her face as he headed up the stairs then stopped and looked back at DI Drake.

"I'll have someone clear your desk and leave your shite at security," he said when he opened the door and went inside. He walked to the security guard standing by the lift doors when the security guard handed him his identification card and he nodded, taking the card from him. He waved the identification card in front of the scanner when the lift doors opened and he walked to the lift, placing the card in his suit jacket pocket.

"Welcome back, Sir," the security guard said as the lift doors closed and Alec nodded at him.

"He's coming," Ellie said as she closed the door and half ran to her desk. They had turned the television off as they looked at the door and Ellie folded her arms across her body. She knew Alec wouldn't like them making a fuss over his return as the squad room door opened and he walked in the room. He closed the door when he looked around the room and frowned. When he first took over, the room was in a relative state of order, but it now looked like a war zone. The dry board was covered with so much stuff he couldn't tell which case was which. The microwave was gone, but the coffee machine was on a small, metal cart and the counter was stacked with files, reports and other documents.

"_What the hell?"_ he thought as he walked closer and they looked at him. No one said a word while he walked to the door to inner office when he looked inside and saw the mess on the desk. He titled his head to one side when he turned around and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you lot standing around for? Aye, I 'm back, but that doesnae mean you stop working. So I want empty desks by the end of the day as well as that mess sorted," he said as he pointed to the dry board then walked in the inner office. Placing his hand on the doorframe, he remembered what he had in his suit jacket pocket and lowered his head. Ellie had seen him stop as she felt uneasy and wondered if he was alright. He slowly turned around to see the worried look on their faces as he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Before anyone asks, I'm fine."

They watched as he walked to Ellie when he reached into his suit jacket pocket and took out a leather billfold.

"It has been brought tae my attention that you've been passed up for promotion," he said and she looked into his chocolate brown eyes. She never noticed how the light shimmered in them as she lowered her head and he lifted her chin up with his thumb.

"I was told that I'd never….That I'm not worthy of one," she said softly and he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"That is a load of rubbish!" he said, pointing a finger at her then took her hand in his and placed the billfold in her hand. "As of today, you are DI…"

"My last name is Benson now," she said and he nodded his head. He knew she had filed for a divorce and total custody of the boys, but he didn't know if she had gone back to her maiden name and held his hand out.

"Congratulations, DI Benson," he said and they shook hands as the others cheered. He glared at them as most of them looked down or lightly coughed then he turned on his heels and went in the inner office, closing the door behind him.

The tapping at the door made him look up when Alec removed his wire rimmed glasses off and sat back against the chair.

"Come in," he said as the door opened and Ellie walked in with a coffee mug in her hand. She placed the coffee mug on the desk as he picked the coffee mug up and looked at what was in it. "Is this coffee?"

"No, it's decaf tea. You know you're not allowed coffee," she said with a small smile on her face. One of the things she missed about having him around was him allowing her to tease him and he looked at her, arching an eyebrow. He also knew she was right as he looked at the coffee mug and a picture of a grumpy cat with SCREW MONDAYS under it faced him.

"Is this suppose tae be funny?" he asked.

"No, it was the only mug I could find," she said then sat on the chair in front of the desk and looked at him. "So, you ok?"

"Well, I would like tae push all this junk off my desk and set it on fire," he said as he looked at the mess on the desk and sighed. "How did he find anything?"

"I have no clue," she said as he sipped on the tea and sighed. "I'll ask again. You ok?"

"Aye, I'm fine."

"Good," she said as she got up and he watched her head for the door. She stopped to look back at him then placed her hand on the doorframe and looked at the mess on his desk. "If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind," he grumbled as he placed on the wire rimmed glasses and looked at the files in front of him.

"Welcome back, Sir," she said then left the office and Alec sat back in the chair with the coffee mug in his hands and softly sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: There is a little bit of naughtiness in this chapter._

Chapter Three

The radio clicked on as Peter Carlisle rolled onto his side and slowly opened his eyes. He listened to the traffic report when a commercial for the Loony Tunes Show started and he softly smiled. His cousin, Campbell Bain, usually wrote the commercials for the radio show and Peter silently admitted to being one of his Loony Tunes. Rolling onto his back, Peter placed his hands behind his head while looking at the ceiling when he sighed and watched the shadows on the ceiling.

"Count the shadows," he whispered then rolled his eyes and mentally slapped himself. He knew others teased him over his Doctor Who obsession. What surprised him was Natalie was just as bad as he was, but he couldn't understand what she saw in the guy who took over for his favorite Doctor. "The guy has no eyebrows."

Moving his head to the left, Peter looked at Natalie as he smiled and watched her sleeping. Sighing, he turned his head back to look at the ceiling then looked at the framed photograph hanging over the dresser and his stepchildren, Danny and Shyanne, smiled at him. Natalie's ex-husband, Ripley, hadn't fought when Peter wanted to adopt them, but Peter knew deep down that it hurt Ripley to have his children ripped from him. It would have killed him.

Danny had gone into rehab for a while to get free from drugs and sex addiction and had been tested for STDs or AIDS. It took a few months, but he had been clean since Peter and Natalie had gotten together and was now working as a social worker. He had a few girlfriends over the years, but still hadn't found the right woman and Natalie wondered if he would ever settle down.

Shyanne had broken up with the guy she was seeing the first time Peter had met her and was the one she turned to when her boyfriend left her for someone his own age. Peter stayed up all night with her as she cried on his shoulder and he promised her she would find someone who would love her forever. That turned out to be a zoologist named Duncan McKay and a year ago they made Peter and Natalie grandparents. Shyanne gave birth to twins and the girl was named after their mothers and the boy was named after their fathers. Peter felt jealous when he thought she had named him after Ripley, but she just called him a wanker. The boy's first name was Peter.

Looking at the photograph again, he looked at the four year old boy sitting on Shyanne's lap and his chocolate brown eyes looked back at him. Peter had been over the moon when Natalie told him that she was pregnant shortly after they got married, but because she was in her forties her doctor had put her on a critical care pregnancy regime. Luckily both Natalie and the baby were fine and Peter had gotten a vasectomy a few weeks after their son's birth.

What he didn't find funny is Natalie teasing him about there being three Peters in the family, but only two of them were "loaded guns" and he would just roll his eyes, walking away. The truth is the only thing he would change was how he and Natalie were able to have this life as he sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Natalie asked with a sleepy tone to her voice as he looked at her, rolled onto his side and placed his head in his hand.

"I was just thinking how lucky I am," he said then leaned in to kiss her. She cupped the back of his neck as he rolled on top of her and slid his hands under her shoulders. He deepened the kiss while she moved her fingers through his hair and he moved from kissing her lips to nibbling on her neck. He slid his hands out from under her when he unbuttoned one of his shirts she wore to bed and slid his hands under the shirt, brushing it aside. She moaned as he kissed down to her breasts then slipped his lips around her nipple and suckled until her nipple pebbled against his tongue. He moved to the other nipple as she groaned then rolled her head back and he moved along her body, kissing down to her stomach. He sat up as he pulled the t-shirt over his head then tossed the t-shirt across the room and leaned over her. She stroked his chest as he looked down and smiled. He softly yelped when she pinched his nipples then stroked his sides and he kissed her. "I found some gray hair on my chest last night."

"Oh, then maybe we shouldn't. I don't want to give you a coronary or something," she teased and he arched his eyebrows up.

"Are you calling me old?!"

"Are you?" she asked then giggled when he tickled her sides and made sloppy kisses down to her hips. She wiggled under him as he stroked and tickled her thighs when he reached her folds and gave her a stern look.

"Seeing that you're being cheeky, I will have tae punish you," he said and she gave her a slightly scared look while pretending to bite her fingernail.

"Yes, I need punishing," she said as he slid a finger in her folds and she gasped. He moved his finger until he found her nub and stroked it while she bucked on the bed. He slid in another finger as her muscles tightened around his fingers and moaned his name. Living with her for as long as he had, Peter knew when Natalie was ready when he removed fingers and quickly slid out of his boxers, tossing them onto the floor. He straddled her when he slid his cock inside her and moved back and forth. He was rock hard and she moaned when he moved out just enough to cause her to break. He watched her riding her climax then come down when he started grinding against her again and she moved with him. He made her climax two more times before sliding out of her and rolled onto his back. She snuggled closer when she placed her head on the center of his chest and listened to his heart thundering in her ear. She waited until he had calmed his heart before kissing his chest then got out of bed and he watched her going into the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later with a towel and a wet flannel when she climbed on the bed and washed him off. She placed the towel and flannel on the floor when she snuggled against him and rested her head on the center of his chest. His skin tingled while she moved her fingers through the soft hairs on his chest and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Not bad for an old man."

"Not bad for an old woman," he teased as she softly giggled while he rolled his eyes and he kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning," DI Robert Kincaide said as Peter sat down at the desk and leaned back against the chair. "You look tired."

"Natalie and I…," he said as Robert held up a hand and smiled. Smiling, Peter reached into the coffee mug and removed a heart shaped lollipop and twirled the lollipop stick between his finger and his thumb. Natalie had found him some sugar free lollipops as he took the plastic wrapper off and placed the lollipop in his mouth. He tossed the plastic wrapper in the trashcan when he opened the file on his desk then put on his wire rimmed glasses and started reading the report on his desk.

"Carlisle, get in here!" make him jump when Peter removed his wire rimmed glasses, placed the lollipop stick up in the coffee mug then got up and walked toward the inner office. Standing in the doorway, he looked at his boss when he knocked on the doorframe and DI Henry Fynn looked up at him. Fynn was a few inches shorter than he was and the overhead light shimmered off of the bald spot sprouting from the center of his dark blonde hair.

"You bellowed?" Peter asked and Fynn gave him a blank. He didn't mind when his Dis teased him and he sat back in the chair.

"Come in and close the door," Fynn said as Peter walked in and closed the door behind him. He stood just in front of the desk when he placed his hands behind his back and Fynn looked at him with a small smile on his face. "Relax, you're nae in trouble."

"That's good," Peter said with a small smile.

"Have you heard of the O.E. Program?" Fynn asked as Peter sat on the chair in front of the desk and frowned.

"The Officers Exchange Program?" he asked and Fynn nodded his head. "Aye, I've heard of it."

"Well, guess whose turn it is?" he asked and Peter thought for a few seconds then his eyebrows shot up under his fringe.

"Where am I going?" Peter asked.

"All the information's in here," Fynn said as he slid the envelope toward him and Peter picked up the envelope, looking at the envelope then at Fynn. Nodding his head, he got up, headed for the door when he opened the door and left the inner office. He headed back to his desk when he sat down and looked at the envelope, twirling it around with his fingers.

"What's that?" Robert asked, glancing at the envelope.

"Ever hear of the Officers Exchange Program?" Peter asked, placing the envelope on the desk.

"Aye," Robert said with a nod of his head.

"It's my turn."

"Ah, well, it's no big deal. I went tae Aberdeen once as an O.E and it wasn't so bad. Well, it was in the middle of winter and the heater was busted, but it was interesting. Where are you going?" Robert asked and Peter opened the envelope. He removed the paper then placed on his wire rimmed glasses and read the information.

"Looks like I'm going tae…Broadchurch?" he said with a questioning tone to his voice and placed the paper on the desk.

"Isnae that where your cousin lives?"

"Aye," Peter said, picking up the paper again.

"When are you leaving?" Robert asked and Peter looked at the paper and frowned.

"Now," Peter said when he placed the paper in the envelope, placed the lollipop in his mouth, got up and left the squad room.

Becca Fisher looked at the email on her laptop while several of the regulars sat at the table or the bar and chatted while drinking their drinks. The last time she had gotten an email from the police it was to inform her about Alec coming to Broadchurch and where to send the bill. This time it was about the Officer Exchange Program, who they were sending and the billing address. She wondered who DI Peter Carlisle was when she heard someone walking toward the bar and smiled.

"Hey, Alec," she said as Peter looked at her and frowned.

"Pardon?" he asked as she realized her mistake and made a soft cough, looking back at the screen.

"You're DI Peter Carlisle?" she asked and Peter smiled, placing the suitcase down.

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head when she reached under the bar and removed the sign in book.

"Sorry that I'm staring. You just look someone I know," she said as she slid the sign in book toward him and Peter smiled, picking up the pen and signed the sign in book. She walked to where the keys hung on little pegs then removed the key and noticed it was for the same room Alec used. Cupping the key in her hand, she walked back to the bar when she placed the key on the counter and slid the key toward him. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Peter said when he picked up the key then the suitcases and headed for the stairs.

"Tea is at eight and breakfast is at seven," she called as he nodded then went up the stairs and she placed the sign in book under the bar. With a sigh, she shook her head when she picked up a clean cloth and started clean off the top of the bar.

Opening the door, Peter reached along the wall until he found the light switch and pushed the button. The lights came on as he placed the suitcases on the floor then closed the door and looked at the room. The bed was to the left of the room with a couch and a table near the windows and he opened the door, turning the light on. He looked at the small bathroom as he sighed then walked to the suitcases and placed one of the suitcases on the bed. A few minutes later he was unpacked as he sat on the bed when he looked at the landscape painting on the wall then got up and walked to the painting. He titled his head to one side when his mind flashed onto something and he heard a loud crashing sound then screaming and he closed his eyes.

"_Da, where's Alec?!"_ filled his head as a cold chill moved through him and Peter opened his eyes, looking at the painting. He removed the painting off the wall as he placed the painting behind the dresser then walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him after turning the light on.

The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky as the waves crashed to the sand and the half-moon cast a long, wavy beam of light on the water. On the beach fire flickered skyward as several rental boats burned and the sound of sirens filled the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The smell of food woke him as Alec opened his eyes and wiped his face with his hands. He looked at the ceiling while his heart thump gently in his chest and he folded his hands over his chest. The beeping of his alarm clock made him look to the left when he sat up then picked the plastic pillbox off the night table and opened the lid. He had a glass of water on the night table when he shook out the pills then placed the pills in his mouth and drank some water, swallowing the pills. Placing the plastic pillbox and glass on the night table, he got out of bed when he walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Morning," Alexandra said when Alec walked toward the kitchenette island and she placed the coffee mug on the counter. Alec was dressed in a black suit, black tie, black socks and a white shirt and he had his black shoes in his hand. He picked up the coffee mug then sipped on the decaf tea and sat on the stool in front of the kitchenette island, placing the black shoes on the counter.

"Did you sleep ok?" he asked then sipped on the decaf tea while she took the black shoes off the counter and placed the plate down.

"Yeah," she said with a nod of her head and he looked at her.

"Why dinnae I believe you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm fine," she said then walked back to the stove and Alec nibbled on the egg white and mushroom omelet.

"You sound like me when I'm trying tae hide something," he said, cutting into the chicken sausage. He didn't know if he would like chicken sausages as he placed the fork in his mouth and Alexandra sighed, placing the plate on the counter. She sat on the chair next to him when she started eating and he glanced at her, sipping on the decaf tea.

"I was checking my email and…and…," she said and he placed his hand on top of her hand.

"Did Jack send you an email?"

"He sent ten of them," she said with a growl in her voice and balled her hands into fists.

"Did you read them?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Why should I? I made it perfectly clear that it's over."

"Do you know that for sure?" he asked then glanced over at her as he sipped on the decaf tea and placed the coffee mug down. His watch beeped as he checked the time then got up and headed for the door. He turned after opening the door then placed his hand on the doorframe and sighed. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Read them."

Alexandra watched him leave when she sighed then picked up the fork and started eating.

Peter half ran down the stairs then headed for the door when Becca walked out of the dining room and he nearly slammed into her.

"Sorry," he said as he gently held onto her arms and she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Nothing's broken," Becca teased while he let go and lightly coughed, lowering his head. "Are you running late?"

"Just a bit," he said with a tiny smile.

"Skipping breakfast?"

"I'll just grab something at the office."

"Hold on," Becca said then walked back into the dining room then appeared a few minutes later with a Styrofoam box and a paper cup with an isolated wrap around the middle and held them out to him. "Here you go."

"Ta," he said as they headed for the door and she opened the door, watching him leave. He gave her a small smile as he headed toward the rent a car and she nodded her head, going inside and closed the door behind her.

A knock on the door made Alec look up when Ellie opened the door and he sat back against the chair.

"Making any progress?" she asked as she looked at the piles of files and paperwork still on his desk and he sighed, taking the wired rim glasses off.

"A little bit," he said when she stood in front of the desk and he looked at the memo on his desk. "According tae this, we're getting someone from the O.E. Program."

"When are they coming?"

"Today," Alec said while looking at the report.

"Does it say who it is?" she asked when Bob knocked on the doorframe and they looked at him.

"Sorry, Sir, but you need to come see this," he said as Alec got up and they left the inner office. Alec noticed that the others were looking at someone standing in the kitchen area and he walked closer. Peter was standing by the counter when he smiled and Alec walked closer, standing in front of him.

"You're our O.E.?" Alec asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Aye," Peter said and Alec sighed, looking at the ceiling. The last time he and Peter worked together was when he was six and they had opened a cherry aid stand so they could have money to go see Star Wars. The venture turned into a disaster when they rowed over the price and ended up being grounded for three months.

"Benson, show DI Carlisle where he's going tae be working," he said then walked to the inner office and closed the door behind him. Peter watched while Ellie walked closer when she shrugged and Peter softly laughed, folding his arms across his chest. He was surprised seeing Alec back at work, but a part of him was glad and Ellie looked from him to the inner office then back and he placed his hands in his pockets.

"He's grumpy as ever, I see," Peter said as he lightly rocked back and forth on his heels and Ellie nodded her head. The door opened when Alec walked out of the inner office as he looked at them and folded his arms across his chest.

"I just got a call from SOCO. There's been a fire on the beach and they found bodies. Let's go," Alec said then walked to the squad room door, opening the door. The others followed Alec as they walked down hallway and Peter appeared next to him. Peter gave him a small smile while glancing at him as Alec slightly smiled back and they went around the corner, heading for the lift.

The yellow police tape waved in the breeze as the police officers kept people from getting close to the crime scene when the black car stopped near the curb and the doors opened. Alec led the way while Peter and Ellie walked closer to the yellow police tape and showed the police officer their identification. The police officer looked from Alec to Peter then back as Alec lifted the yellow police tape and they ducked under it, heading toward the SOCO team. Brian chatted with one of the other SOCO officers as the breeze rippled their white HAZMAT suits when Alec, Ellie and Peter appeared next to him and Brian looked at them.

"Welcome back," Brian said as Alec walked by him while heading for the burnt out remains of the rental boats and looked at the two forms covered with white tarps. Alec stood to the burnt rental boats while the breeze moved through his hair and he placed his hands in his pockets.

"I hate boats," Alec grumbled then looked at the water and watched the waves moving to the shore. He didn't hear Peter walk up when he glanced at Alec and Peter placed his hands in his pockets.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked.

"Aye," Alec said and looked at the burnt rental boats. "Anyone talk to the fire team?"

"Ellie is," Peter said while Alec looked over at Ellie talking with the fire chief then looked at the white tarps and walked toward them. Peter followed as they stood near the white tarps then Alec looked at the people gathered behind the yellow police tape and sighed.

"No!" a female voice shouted as a tall woman with long, black hair ran toward the yellow police tape and a police officer gently grabbed hold of her.

"Bloody wonderful," Alec sighed as he walked toward them and Peter followed behind him. The woman was thin yet muscular with shiny green eyes and her long, black hair was tied back with a leather string. She was wearing a tight, white t-shirt with Blue Dolphin Rentals around a blue dolphin on the front, tight jeans and white sneakers. "Who are you?"

The woman pulled away from the police officer when she looked at Alec and folded her arms under her breasts.

"I'm Jenny Hendricks," Jenny said.

"I'm DI Hardy and this is DI Carlisle," Alec said as they showed her their identification and Ellie walked closer, standing next to Alec. "And this is DI Benson. Are you the owner?"

"Yes," Jenny said with a nod of her head and Alec looked at Ellie.

"Do we know when the fire started?" he asked and Ellie looked at her notes.

"The 999 call came in around five fifteen this morning. By the time the fire department arrived, the boats were ablaze and they found the victims…," Ellie said when Jenny's eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

"What are you talking about? What victims?" she demanded and Alec sighed while standing back so she could see the white tarps. "No!"

"Let her through," he said as the police officer lifted the yellow police tape and Jenny ran by them. Ellie followed her when Jenny stopped at the white tarps and looked down. Jenny fell to her knees while Ellie knelt next to her and place an arm around her shoulders.

"Do they kn-know if one of the bodies is a dog?" Jenny asked as Brian walked closer and Ellie straightened, looking at him.

"Was one of the bodies a dog?" Ellie asked and Brian looked at the white tarps.

"Yeah, we think so," he said and Jenny sighed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Lenny," she whispered then stood up and dusted the sand off her jeans.

"Who's Lenny?" Peter asked.

"He is/was this guy that did/does odd jobs for me. In return, I let him and his dog to sleep under one of the boats because he had been thrown out of the shelter he was living in," she said while Alec walked to the remains of the boats and looked at the sand.

"Did he sleep under this one?" he asked and Jenny walked closer, standing next to him. He pointed to the dog shaped prints in the sand near the boat and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, it's the only one he could get under and it was big enough for the both of them."

"What time did you close up last night?"

"We close just after sunset, which was around seven thirty."

"Did you see anyone hanging around after closing?"

"Well, there were some teenagers hanging around, but they left when Lenny told them to leave. Guess they were afraid of Lucky."

"Lucky?"

"That is…was the name of his dog, but Lucky wouldn't harm a soul."

"Where did you go after you closed?"

"I went home and was with my boyfriend and little boy."

"What's your boyfriend's name?"

"It's Felix Mullens."

"What does he do?"

"He works construction," Jenny said and Alec nodded his head. He walked to Ellie and Peter as they looked at him and he half lowered his eyes.

"Benson, do a check on a Felix Mullens," he said then walked away and Ellie looked from him to Peter and back.

"Is he ok?" Ellie asked after taking out a pen and notepad from her pants pocket and wrote the name down. She placed the notepad and pent away as she watched Alec walking down the beach and frowned.

"No, I dinnae think so," Peter said as he half ran to catch up with him and Ellie wondered what was wrong with Alec. She looked at the crowd gathering when she saw her nephew, Olly Stevens, and sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Not now," she said as she walked to the yellow police tape while Olly chatted with one of the police officers then smiled when he saw her, but the smile faded when he saw the look on her face.

"Go away," she said as Olly frowned and half lowered his eyes. She knew he had been helpful during the Danny Latimer case, but Alec never did forgive her or Olly for leaking information and he would be furious if he found out she was talking to Olly.

"But, Aunt Ellie…," Olly said and she glared at him.

"I told you not to call me that when I'm on a job," she half growled and Olly sighed, nodding his head.

"Sorry, can't I just ask a few questions?"

"There will be a full press conference after we get more information."

"Oh, come on, can't you give me something?" he asked then sighed at her cold look and turned on his heels, walking away. Ellie looked over at Alec and Peter when Alec walked further down the beach and stood just near to where they had found Danny Latimer's body. He looked up at the cliff with his hands in his pockets while Ellie walked to Peter and he glanced at her.

"What is he doing?" she asked, looking at Alec.

"Thinking," Peter said then walked away and she watched him walking back to the crime scene. Turning around, she was startled to see Alec behind her with his hands in his pockets and was looking at the white tents.

"Sorry," he said softly and she nodded her head.

"Olly showed up," she said as he scrunched up his nose and snorted some air out of his nose.

"You didnae tell him anything, did you?"

"No," she said, elongating the "o" and he gave her a blank look.

"Let's go," he said as he walked by her then she turned and started following him. They walked side by side when she felt him brush his fingers against hers and looked up at him. He looked straight ahead, but didn't say a word and she knew he didn't have to. He was angry, but alright as they walked down the beach and the sunlight sparkled off the water.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Olly walked to his desk when Maggie came out of her office and walked toward him.

"Find anything?" she asked as he sighed and placed his elbows on the desk.

"I was chatting with some of the PCs when my aunt came over and told me to get lost," he sighed and sat back against the chair. "She did say there would be a press conference when they found out more."

"Well, that's enough to start a byline," Maggie said, patting his shoulder and Olly nodded his head. After she went back to her office, Olly removed his smart phone when he turned it on and opened the pictures application. He had been taking pictures of the scene when he looked at the picture of Alec, Ellie and Peter and enlarged the photo. He looked at Alec and Peter as he frowned and blinked his eyes a few times. "Who the hell is that?"

The wind blew through his hair as Alec watched the SOCO setting up the white tents around the bodies and the rental boats and crossed his arms over his chest. Peter had gone with some of the other Dis to question the people in the caravans nearby when Ellie appeared next to Alec and he glanced at her then looked at the white tents.

"Why didnae the dog bark?" he asked and she gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked and he lowered his head.

"The 999 call came in around five fifteen this morning. By the time the fire department arrived, the boats were ablaze and they found the victims, but you'd think the dog would have warned Lenny if someone was there."

"Not unless he was asleep."

"The dog would have been sleeping beside him if he was under the boat. So he was either deaf or a really sound sleeper."

"Either that or he knew who killed him," she said as he half closed his eyes and sighed.

"Aye," he said when one of the SOCO team came out of the white tent around the bodies and looked around. He looked at Alec and Ellie when he walked closer and had something in a plastic bag in his hands.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I thought you might want to see this," he said when Alec reached into his pocket and removed a pair of blue plastic gloves and put them on. He took the plastic bag then held it up and frowned. Inside the plastic bag were five bullet cases and he looked at the white tent then blinked his eyes a few times.

"Where did you find them?"

"They were near the bodies. Looks like someone just covered them with sand then buggered off."

"Guess that explains why no one heard the dog, but you'd think someone would have heard gunshots," Ellie said and Alec nodded his head, handing the plastic bag to the SOCO team member.

"Let's go," Alec said then walked away and Ellie half ran to catch up with him.

The interrogation room was quiet while Jenny Hendricks and Felix Mullens sat at the table and Felix had his feet on the table. He was tall with a thin, but muscular build, a long face and a straight nose. His eyes were a steely gray color and had diamond studs arching up the curve of his right ear. His long, bleached blonde hair was tied back with a black cord and he was wearing a denim jacket, a white t-shirt, tight jeans, a black leather belt and black cowboy boots. Sitting on Jenny's lap was a small boy with brown hair and shiny green eyes and he was sucking on a plastic dummy with Elmo's face on the front. The door opened while Alec, Peter and Ellie walked in the room and Alec glared at Felix.

"Feet off the table," Alec said as Felix snorted then lowered his legs and sat up straighter in the chair. Alec walked to the table when he turned the digital recorder on and looked at them. "Thank you for coming. I am DI Alec Hardy and this is DI Ellie Benson and DI Peter Carlisle."

"Did you find out who killed Lenny?" Jenny asked.

"No," Alec said as he sat down and Ellie sat next to him. "We did find several bullet casings next tae his body."

"He was shot?!" Jenny asked, wide eyed.

"Yes, we thinks so," Ellie said with a nod of her head.

"Why would someone want to shoot him?"

"That's what we want tae know," Peter said while standing near the door.

"Was Lenny deaf?" Alec asked while sitting forward and folded his fingers together as he placed his elbows on the table.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Well," he said as he sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "I was wondering why he didnae hear his dog barking when whoever this was set fire to the boats. No one else heard it either nor did they hear the gunfire."

"Does that mean whoever this was used a silencer?" Felix asked, picking the dummy off the floor and placed it in the nappy bag. He took out a clean dummy then placed it in the little boy's mouth and ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Could be," Alec said with his eyes half closed and titled his head to one side. "Do you have a gun?"

"No," Felix half shouted and the little boy started crying. Jenny stood up as she held the little boy in her arms while walking back and forth and glared at Alec.

"How long have you known Lenny?"

"It would have been six years," Jenny said as she sat down and handed Felix the little boy.

"How did you meet?" Ellie asked.

"He was living at this homeless shelter in town and Reverend Coates suggested I give Lenny some odd jobs to do."

"Reverend Coates?" Alec asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Yeah, he tries to find jobs for people at the shelter," Jenny said and Peter removed a pen and notepad from his pocket, opening the notepad. He wrote down the information as Alec leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table.

"You said that there were some teenagers on the beach last night."

"Yeah, but they left after Lenny told them to go."

"You also said they might have been afraid of his dog."

"Lucky was a sweetie. He never growled at the locals. He adored Tony even if Tony climbed onto his back and pulled on his ears," she said with a nod of her head toward the little boy.

"Which means Lucky would have growled and barked at someone he didn't know?" Ellie asked.

"Yes."

"What about the people who lived in the caravans? Did Lenny get along with them?" Alec asked.

"Sure, he even did some odd jobs for them," Jenny said when Alec turned the digital recorder off and stood up.

"Thank you for coming," he said as Jenny stood up while holding onto Tony and Felix reached down to pick up the nappy bag before standing up. Alec watched while Peter opened the door as they left the room and closed the door behind them. Alec sat back in the chair as Ellie and Peter looked at him and Alec sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

The floorboards creaked while Reverend Paul Coates moved by the pews and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. He was having another bout of insomnia as he sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if God would decide he needed a kip and make him crawl onto a pew. Yawning, he headed for the front doors when someone knocked and he opened the door, looking at Alec, Ellie and Peter.

"Hello," Paul said as he looked into Alec' eyes and Alec gave him a blank look. Even though he was there for Alec spiritually when Alec was having his heart surgery, Paul still felt anger from being a suspect in Danny Latimer's death and Alec could see the anger in his eyes.

"We need to talk to you, Paul," Ellie said as he looked at her and a puzzled look appeared on his face.

"Come in," Paul said as he stood back and Alec, Ellie and Peter walked by him. Paul did a double take from Alec to Peter then back then sighed and closed the door. Peter and Alec stood near the pews while Paul walked to Ellie and folded his hands in front of him. "What's going on?"

"You've been helping out at the local homeless shelter?" Alec asked and Paul looked at him.

'Yes, I've been doing that for a few years. Mostly listening to their confessions or trying to get them into rehab."

"Do you get them jobs?" Peter asked and Paul started getting confused as he looked from Peter to Alec.

"They're identical cousins," Ellie whispered as Paul nodded his head and sighed.

"Yes, I try to get them something so they'll have money and get some experience," Paul said.

"Did you get someone a job at Blue Dolphin Rentals?" Peter asked after taking out a pen and notebook and titled his head to one side.

"Are you talking about Lenny? Has he done something?" Paul asked, getting concerned.

"I think you better sit down," Ellie said while Paul sat down on the pew and looked up at her. "Did you hear about the fire on the beach?"

"Yes, it was on the news."

"Blue Dolphin Rentals was set on fire," Alec said and Paul's eyes went wide.

"And you think Lenny did it?"

"No," Ellie said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's dead."

"Shit," Paul said softly. "Did he die in the fire?"

"No," Peter said as he walked closer and leaned against the pew across from the pew where Paul was sitting. "We found bullet casings near the bodies."

"Wait, they killed someone else?" Paul asked, wide eyed.

"Someone killed his bloody dog," Alec said.

"Aw, no, not Lucky," Paul sighed.

"You've met his dog?" Peter asked.

"Yes, he was a sweetie."

"Do you have a file on Lenny?" Alec asked as he looked toward the church office door.

"Do you have a warrant?" Paul asked and Peter removed the warrant from his suit coat pocket.

"Right here," Peter said.

"Then, yes, I'll go get it," Paul said as he got up and headed for the church office and opened the door. Ellie followed him in the room as he headed for the filing cabinet at the back of the room and she leaned on the doorframe.

"You haven't been sleeping," she said as he opened one of the drawers and looked through the files.

"I've got insomnia again," he said when he found the right file and closed the drawer.

"What's causing it this time?" Ellie asked while he walked closer and handed her the file.

"No clue," he said with a tired smile and they walked toward Alec and Peter. "I can't get over Hardy having a twin."

"Actually he has two," Ellie said as Paul gave her a confused look and they stopped near Peter and Alec.

"Is that the file?" Alec asked.

"Yes," Paul said as Ellie handed Alec the file and he placed his wire rimmed glasses on. Opening the file, Alec quickly scanned the file then closed it and took his wire rimmed glasses off. "Would it be alright if I do a service for Lenny?"

"Yes, as soon as we're done with his body and contact his family," Ellie said and he nodded. He led them to the front doors when he opened the door and they left. Closing the door, Paul leaned against the door then sighed and tears dribbled down his cheeks.

A knock on the door made Alec look up when he removed his wire rimmed glasses and Ellie opened the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked as he nodded his head and she walked to the desk, standing in front of the desk. "Did you find anything in the file?"

"Aye, there was a phone number. It turns out tae be his daughter's," Alec said then sighed and leaned back against the chair. "She didnae take it well."

"Were you nice when you told her what happened?" she asked and he gave her a slightly angry look.

"Aye," Alec sighed while she sat on the chair in front of the desk and he rubbed his face with his hands. "She'll be here in the morning."

"Did you tell her that the ME won't turn the body over until we find out who killed him?"

"Aye," Alec said then yawned, stretched his long legs out until the chair nearly bumped into the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

"Right, let's go," she said as she got up and walked around the other side of the desk, looking down at him. She held out her hand as he looked at her hand then at her and she gave him a stern look. He had seen that look before as he sighed then got up and headed for the coatrack. He took his suit coat off the peg then placed the suit coat on and headed for the inner office door. He stood back to let her leave the inner office then followed her to the squad room door and they left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_A loud crashing sound filled his ears then screaming as he felt himself falling into the water and the darkness surrounded him. He had been slightly stunned from hitting the water as he tried to figure out which way was up and felt the air in his lungs burning. Suddenly someone or something grabbed onto him as he started going upward and gasped for air when they came to the surface._

"_Got him," a male voice said as he felt himself being lifted onto a large piece of wood and heard someone crying._

"_Easy, Lad, you're ok," another male voice said._

"_But it hurts," a little boy whined and the other male hushed whoever it was. It took a few seconds to figure out who was talking when he blinked his eyes a few times then turned, seeing his father next to him. He looked at the other man then recognized the little boy, but a sudden feeling that someone was missing made his heart thunder in his chest._

"_Da, where's Alec?"_

Gasping, Peter sat up as he felt his heart slamming against his sternum when he sat against the wall and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply through his nose while the nightmare faded from his mind and he tried to figure out why he was having that particular nightmare. It had been years since that day and he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. Moving the bedding back, he got out of bed then walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

The door to the interrogation room opened while Alec held the door opened and Peter and Ellie walked by him. Alec closed the door then headed for the table while Peter stood near the table and Ellie sat down. Sitting on a chair on the other side of the table was a medium size woman with long brown hair and gray eyes and she had a long face with a small nose and full lips. She was wearing a gray jumper with a white blouse underneath, black jeans and gray ankle boots. She looked like she had been crying as Alec sighed and walked to the table, turning the digital recorder on then sat down.

"Hello, I am DI Ellie Benson and this is DI Alec Hardy and DI Peter Carlisle," she said and the woman looked at her then at Peter and Alec.

"Hello, I'm Maggie Yoast," Maggie said as Ellie slid the box of tissues toward her and Maggie removed three tissues, wiping her eyes. "Sorry?"

"That's alright," Ellie said and Maggie sighed, sitting back against the back of the chair.

"I can't believe he's gone."

"Do you know if he had any enemies?"

"No," Maggie said with a shake of her head.

"What did your father do for a living?" Alec asked while Peter reached for the notepad on the table and took a pen out of his suit jacket pocket.

"My father was a teacher. He taught special needs children," she said then looked down. "That was until my mother died."

"Oh, when did she die?" Ellie asked.

"It was seven years ago," Maggie sighed and new tears rolled down her cheeks. "She had cancer. Dad was crushed when she died. We thought he was alright then he just sold the house and transferred all his money into trust funds for my kids. He was already gone by the time we found out.

"So his last name isn't Yoast?"

"No, it was Walker," Maggie said then used the tissue to wipe her nose.

"When was the last time you had contact with your father?" Alec asked and Maggie looked at him.

"It was last week. He always called or sent an email."

"Did he seem upset?"

"No, in fact, he was talking about maybe coming home," Maggie said then sighed and a small shiver moved through her. "I told him I was going to come and get him on Friday. If I had just come earlier, he would still be alive."

"So would the dog," Alec said, sitting back against the back of the chair and folded his arms over his chest.

"What, they killed Lucky?!" Maggie said with wide eyes.

"Yes," Ellie said.

"Oh, no, Dad loved that dog."

"How long had he had the dog?" Alec asked.

"He found Lucky three years ago. He was only a puppy and was left in a cardboard box in an alley," Maggie said and Ellie growled. She hated it when people were so heartless and Alec gently bumped his knee against hers.

"What breed was Lucky?" Peter asked.

"He was a mastiff."

"Which means whoever did this would have had tae have killed Lucky first," Alec said then looked at Maggie and made a small cough. "Sorry."

"Can I…Can I go see them?" Maggie asked as Ellie turned the digital recorder off and Alec sat back against the back of the chair.

"Yes, but we can't release the bodies yet," Ellie said as Maggie nodded and they stood up, heading for the door. Peter held the door open when Alec placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder and she looked deeply into his sad eyes.

"I promise we will find who did this," he said and she nodded. Peter closed the door after they left the room and walked silently down the hallway.

The conference room was crowded with news and television reporters as Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson sat at the table and was talking to the reporters about the fire and finding the bodies of Lenny and his dog on the beach. Ellie and Alec sat to her left while Alec glanced at Ellie and she folded her hands on the table. Picking up a pen, he wrote something on the notepad in front of him then slid the notepad to her.

He had written _YOU'LL BE FINE _on the paper as she looked at him and he arched an eyebrow at her. He had told her she would be in charge of the investigation, but she wasn't sure if she was ready as he slid the notepad to him and wrote something before sliding the notepad back to her. _ I HAVE FAITH IN YOU_

"I will now turn questions over to DI Ellie Benson," Elaine said as Ellie looked at the reporters then glanced at Olly, who was smiling at her.

"DI Benson, will the beach be closed down?" Olly asked with a blank look on his face.

"We will be closing the section of the beach where the fire took place, but the rest of the beach will be open to the public," Ellie said.

"How will you prevent people from the crime scene?"

"We will have police officers posted."

"Are the other boat rental places in danger?"

"We have no information about that at this time," Ellie said then took some more questions and Elaine leaned back in the chair, looking toward Alec. She could just see a hint of a smile on his face as he glanced at Ellie then Elaine sat forward, folding her hands on the table.

"If there are no more questions, I would like to thank you all for coming and we promise we will find the person or persons responsible for this. If anyone has any information, I urge you to call in. Any help is greatly appreciated," Elaine said.

The reporters left the room as Elaine stood and gently patted Ellie's shoulder before leaving and Alec sat back against the chair and puffed air from his cheeks. Olly was still sitting there as Ellie looked at him and he had a look on his face as if asking if he could talk to her.

"Just be careful what you tell him," Alec whispered then got up and left the room. Ellie nodded her head as Olly walked closer and stood in front of the table.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked and Olly looked toward the door.

"Yeah," he said then looked at her and titled his head to one side. "Who's that guy who looks like Hardy?"

Peter was stretched out on the bed as he pushed the wire rimmed glasses up with his finger and looked at the screen of his Kindel Fire. Natalie had bought him the latest version for his birthday when he placed the e-reader against his chest and sighed. He never thought he would feel lonely as he looked around the room then looked up at the ceiling and felt tears bubbling at the corners of his eyes.

"Fuck," he sighed then removed the wire rimmed glasses and wiped the tears away with his finger and thumb. He glanced over at his smart phone when a knock on the door made him jump and he placed the e-reader and the wire rimmed glasses on the night table, getting off the bed. He walked to the door when he used the peephole to look in the hallway and his eyes widened. Opening the door, he looked at Natalie and their son standing in the hallway and Little Peter ran to him, wrapping his arms around his legs. "What?"

"Hi, Daddy," Little Peter said when Peter knelt down, wrapped his arms around his son then lifted him off the floor and settled him on his right hip.

"Aren't you glad to see us?" Natalie asked as she walked by him and placed the suitcases near the bed.

"Uh….," Peter said as he closed the door then walked to her and kissed her cheek. "Sure, but why are you here?"

"We missed you," she said as he adjusted his hold on his son and looked at him.

"I missed you, too," he said when he placed his son on the couch and Natalie walked to Peter, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You should have seen the face of the bar tender when I told her who we were," she said then gave him a stern look. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Other than she's made me breakfast once when I was running late, no," Peter said and she looked deeply into his eyes. She was good at reading what he wasn't telling her as she smiled and stroked his cheek. She had never told him, but she did know she was the reason he messed up the Blackpool murder. She also knew he was afraid to tell her the truth because he feared she'd leave him. Ripley wouldn't have done that. All he cared about was Ripley. Peter tilted his head to one side as she lowered her head and he lifted her chin with his finger, looking deeply into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You're going to tease me, but I was feeling a bit jealous," she sighed and Peter smiled. She melted every time she saw his dimples and he placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Ew!" Little Peter said as he scrunched up his face and Peter looked at him, arching his eyebrows up.

"Don't you like me kissing Mummy?" he asked and his son shook his head.

"Well then," he said then slowly walked to the couch, wiggling his fingers at his son. Little Peter yelped as Peter tickled him and Natalie smiled, feeling tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" Ellie asked as she sat on the chair next to Olly and he turned on the chair to look at her.

"I'm just curious," Olly said.

"He's our OE officer."

"What is that?"

"He is our Officers Exchange."

"Is that like an exchange student?" he asked and Ellie softly smiled.

"Yes, it's something like that."

"Why does he look like Hardy?"

"If I tell you, you have to promise to leave both of them alone."

"Fine," Olly sighed and leaned back against the back of the chair.

"The reason they look alike is because they're cousins," she said and Olly's eyes slightly widened.

"They're identical cousins?"

"Yes, now if you'll excuse me," Ellie said as she got up and left the room. Olly removed his smart phone when he searched for the photo he took of Ellie, Alec and Peter and looked at Alec and Peter. Even though he promised not to bother them, Olly knew the public might like to read about identical cousin Dis and he placed his smart phone in his pocket, got up and ran out of the room.

The black car pulled up to the curb when Alec opened the passenger side door and walked around to the other side of the car. Ellie waited for him as the door opened and Ellie's sister, Lucy, half ran down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked.

"I can't get him to stay in bed," Lucy said and Ellie sighed, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Is there a problem?" Alec said as he walked closer and looked at them.

"I've been having trouble getting Fred to stay in bed," Ellie said while Alec looked at the house and headed for the stairs. Walking up the stairs, he opened the door when he walked inside and looked at the stairs. When he moved back to Broadchurch, Ellie had moved to the other end of Old Church Road and he had bought the house next door. After heading for the stairs, Alec placed his hand on the railing and walked upstairs. He could hear Tom's voice as he headed down the hallway and stood in the doorway to Tom's room. Tom was chatting with someone and the fifteen year old sat on the bed with his laptop on his lap.

"Say goodnight," Alec said and Tom looked at him. Tom didn't mind when Alec played "dad" as he talked into the microphone while signing off then closed his laptop and removed the headset. He placed the laptop on the floor then crawled under the bedding and rolled over onto his side, looking at him. "Goodnight."

"Yeah," Tom said when Alec walked in the room and picked the laptop off the floor and picked the smart phone off the night table. Tom watched as Alec placed them on the top shelf of his bookcase then left the room after turning the light off. Sighing, Tom smiled when he closed his eyes and pulled the duvet over his head.

Alec looked in the bedroom as nearly five year old Fred sat on the floor and was playing with his action figures. Knocking on the door frame, Alec watched as Fred turn around when he stood up, ran to him and wrapped his arms around Alec' legs.

"You are supposed tae be in bed," Alec said with a blank look on his face.

"No," Fred said then sat on the floor as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Bed…now," Alec said, pointing to the bed, but Fred shook his head, pressing his lips together. Sighing, Alec sat on the floor as he wiggled his finger at him and Fred crawled closer, sitting on his lap. Alec watched while Fred leaned against him and Alec lifted his chin up, looking at him. "Why are you giving Mummy so much grief?"

"I just want to stay up until you and Mummy to get home."

"Well, we're home," Alec said then nodded his head toward Fred's bed and Fred got up, walking to the bed. Alec got up when he headed for the bed and Fred crawled under the bedding. Alec picked the tan fur teddy bear off the floor when he tucked the teddy bear next to Fred and Fred rolled onto his left side. Alec watched Fred close his eyes when he headed for the door then turned, looking back at Fred. "Goodnight."

"Night, Daddy," Fred sighed as he drifted off to sleep and Alec frowned, turned on his heels and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Peter walked down the stairs when he strolled toward the bar and Becca smiled at him while she cleaned the top of the bar.

"Your little boy's a sweetie," she said as she leaned on the bar and Peter smiled, nodding his head.

"Is it alright for them tae stay with me?" he asked, leaning on the bar.

"Yeah, I'll just bill your office for a room upgrade," she said and Peter's eyes widened.

"You can do that?"

"Sure, I'll leave the key with your wife."

"Ta," he said and Becca smiled.

"You want a beer or something?"

"Aye, a beer will be fine," he said as she nodded then went to pour him a pint. He looked at the others sitting at the tables or at the bar when he saw Olly sitting at the table near the window and frowned. Alec had told him about Olly as he sighed and Becca tapped him, making him turn around. Peter paid for the beer when he picked up the glass and walked toward Olly. Olly looked at him when Peter sat down and sipped on the beer before speaking.

"Go home, Olly," he said as Olly frowned and titled his head to one side.

"You know who I am?" Olly asked.

"Aye, DI Hardy warned me that you might come around and start asking questions regarding the case," Peter said then sipped on the beer.

"I'm not here to talk about the fire on the beach."

"Then why are you here?"

"I want to do a story on you," Olly said and Peter arched his eyebrows up.

"Why?"

"Well, I thought it would be interesting to do a story on identical DI cousins," Olly said and Peter sipped on the beer.

"You think I have a twin?"

"Cut the shit. I'm talking about you and DI Hardy," Olly said and Peter barely smiled as he leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Have you asked him if he's ok with this?"

"No, he'll just tell me to fuck off," Olly sighed and looked down.

"Then you have your answer," Peter said then picked up the glass, stood up and walked away. He raised the glass at Becca as she smiled and Peter sipped on the beer then half ran up the stairs. Turning toward him, Becca glared at Olly when he sank down in the chair and frowned.

The buzzing sound of his smart phone woke him when Alec yawned then opened his eyes, sat up, turned on the light and reached over to pick up the smart phone. Blinking is eyes a few times, he saw Ellie's picture on the screen when he pushed the button and held the smart phone to his ear.

"This better be important," he grumbled as he looked at the clock and saw the time was six forty-five.

"I just got a call from SOCO. There's been another fire on the beach," she said as he sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Sir, are you still there?"

"Aye," Alec said as he moved the bedding back and sat on the edge of the bed. "Give me a few minutes then pick me up."

"Right," she said as Alec ended the call then stood up and headed for the bathroom.

The sound of his smart phone woke him when Peter opened his eyes and heard soft breathing in his ear. Little Peter had crawled in bed with them as his little head rested on Peter's shoulder and Peter smiled, turning the light on. Natalie and Little Peter moaned, but didn't wake up as Peter reached over and picked the smart phone off the night table. He saw Ellie's face on the screen when his heart slammed in his chest and he sat up, pushed the button and held the smart phone to his ear.

"Is Alec alight?" he asked with a panicked tone in his voice.

"Yes, he's fine," she said and Peter released the breath he was holding. "I got a call from SOCO. There's been another fire on the beach. Alec and I will pick you up in ten minutes."

"Make it fifteen," Peter said then ended the call and looked at Little Peter and Natalie. She was used to him leaving in the middle of the night as he gently kissed his son on the top of his head then got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

The sun was starting to come up over the horizon when the black car stopped at the curb and the doors opened. Peter and Ellie followed Alec as he sipped on the bottle of water and swallowed his heart medication. He looked at the SOCO team putting up the white tents when he stopped and showed the officer near the yellow police tape his identification and the officer lifted the yellow police tape. Ellie and Peter showed the officer their identification as they half ran to catch up with Alec and Alec placed his hand in his coat pocket.

"What happened?" he asked Brian and Brian looked at the burnt remains of the rental boats and white tarp covered the body on the sand.

"We got a call at six ten this morning that someone set the boats on fire. When we arrived, the fire was out and they had found a body," Brian said and Alec walked toward the white tarp. He went onto his haunches while looking at the white tarp then saw Peter and Ellie talking with the fire crew and some of the other officers. With a soft grunt, Alec stood up when he looked down at the white tarp then at the sunrise and the cool breeze blew through his hair. Sipping on the water, he blinked his eyes a few times when Ellie appeared next to him and he glanced at her then at the sunrise.

"Well?" he asked as she looked at the sunrise and Alec waited for her answer.

"They believe the fire started around five this morning and the body is burned beyond recognition," Ellie said and he nodded his head.

"Do they think it's the same MO as the last fire?"

"There is a possibility. They'll know more after they get the lab results back."

"Anyone contact the….?"

"What the hell?!" a male voice asked as they turned around and a tall man headed toward the yellow police tape. He was as tall as Alec with long brown hair, a round face and a lean, muscular build. He had a long nose and high cheek bones and his brown eyes were wide with anger. He was wearing jeans and a white muscle shirt and Stingray Rentals was on the front of the muscle shirt.

"Great," Alec sighed as they walked toward the yellow police tape and Peter was talking to the man, trying to calm him down.

"I will not calm down! Look at that!" the man shouted while pointing to the burnt remains of the rental boats then saw Alec and Ellie and glared at them. "Who the hell are you?"

"DI Alec Hardy," he said, showing him his identification then looked at Ellie. "This is DI Ellie Benson and this is DI Peter Carlisle. Who are you?"

"I'm Victor Brooks," Victor said then folded his arms over his broad chest.

"You're the owner?"

"Yes!" Victor said and Alec gave him a blank look.

"What time did you close last night?"

"It was at sunset."

"When was that?"

"Around seven thirty," Victor said and Alec barely nodded his head.

"Did you see anyone hanging around after you closed?"

"No, I normally leave at six and…Where the hell is Jake?!" Victor asked, looking around.

"Who's Jake?" Ellie asked.

"He's my night guard," Victor said then saw the white tarp. "Is that…is that Jake?"

"We don't know."

"Where did you go after you closed?" Alec asked.

"I went home. I live about half a mile up the road," Victor said, pointing to the left.

"Do you live alone?" Peter asked.

"No, I live with my boyfriend," he said and Alec and Peter looked at each other.

"Ok, does Jake have a last name?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, he said it was Taylor," Victor said and Peter wrote down on the notepad he had in his hand.

"How long has Jake worked for you?" Ellie asked.

"It's been three years," Victor said as one of the SOCO officers walked to Alec and gently tapped his back. Turning around, Alec looked at her and she softly smiled at him.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but I thought you would like to see this," she said, handing him a pair of blue plastic gloves then handed him a plastic bag after he placed the blue plastic gloves on. Alec held the plastic bag up then looked at the gun shells and sighed.

"Where did you find them?" Alec asked.

"They were found by the body. It looked like someone just kicked sand over them," she said as she pointed to the white tarp and Alec nodded his head.

"I want a full report and check to see if they were the same bullets used on the last victim," Alec said and the SOCO officer walked away. "Has anyone talked tae the people in the caravans?"

"I sent some officers over a few minutes ago," Peter said.

"This might sound off, but was Jake homeless?" Ellie asked, looking at Victor.

"Yeah, he was," Victor asked and Alec frowned, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Did Reverend Coates recommend him for the job?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, he did," Victor said and Ellie glanced at Alec with a puzzled look on her face.

"We'll get in contact when we find something," Alec said then walked away and Peter and Ellie looked at each other. They knew where he was going as they half ran to catch up with him and Alec took a long sip of water as an angry look appeared on his face.

Paul looked up when someone knocked on the front door and he got up, leaving the office. He walked by the pews when he walked to the front door and opened the door. Alec glared at him as he looked from him to Ellie and Peter and saw the look in Ellie's eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked then stood back to allow them to come in and closed the door behind them.

"There was another fire on the beach," Alec said flatly and Paul's eyes widened.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"They found a body," Ellie asked and Paul sighed.

"Do you know a Jake Taylor?" Peter asked and Paul's eyes widened.

"Yes," Paul said with a nod of his head.

"Did you recommend him to Victor Brooks?"

"You mean the owner of Stingray Rentals?"

"Yes," Peter said, nodding his head.

"Is he…Was he the one they found on the beach?" Paul asked and Ellie noticed he looked a little pale. She led him to a pew as they sat down and Alec leaned against the side of the pew, folding his arms across his chest.

"We think so," she said and Paul sat forward, placing his face in his hands.

"Do you have a file on him?" Alec asked and Paul looked at him as Peter handed him the warrant.

"Yes, I'll go get it," Paul said then got up and slowly walked to the office. Ellie looked at Alec as he watched the door close and sighed. She knew he was good at reading people as she gently tapped his hand with her fingers and he looked down then at her. Paul came out of the office when he walked to them and handed Ellie the file. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Did the first victim's daughter come tae see you?" Alec asked.

"Yes, she came right after going to the ME office. I'm planning a memorial service for her father this Sunday," he said and Alec nodded his head. Paul led them to the front door when he opened it and they left. He watched them going down the path when he closed the front door, leaned against it and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Alec stood in front of the dry broad as he looked at the reports and photographs then at the notes written in black and rubbed his face with his hands. Maggie Yoast was able to send them a photograph of her father as the photograph sat under the magnetic clip on the left side of the dry board and the reports about his death formed a C shape next to it.

"Find anything?" Peter asked when he appeared next to him and Alec sighed, shaking his head.

"Have the reports from the other fire come in yet?" Alec asked.

"No," Peter said then noticed the tired look in his eyes. "Go home."

"What?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"You're tired," he said then held up a hand. "So am I. So is Ellie. Bugger, we've all been up since the crack of dawn. There's no shame in clocking out early."

Alec looked at him then turned to look at the others and one or two of them yawned. Walking to the inner office door, he turned, placed his hand on the doorframe and looked at them.

"Right, seeing we've been up since dawn, stop what you're doing and go home," he said then closed the door and Ellie looked at Peter. He gave her a hint of a smile when she smiled back and shook her head. She wasn't sure what he had said to Alec, but a part of her wished that Peter was going to stay permanently as she saved her work, turned the computer off and grabbed her purse out of the drawer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The first rays of sunlight brightened the room as Peter sighed and rolled onto his right side. He slowly opened his eyes when he looked at Natalie lying next to him and some of her hair was in her face. He gently moved the hair away as she sighed and snuggled closer. Becca had gotten them a room with two beds and there was a wooden screen that could be placed between the beds for privacy. He could just see his son through the slats in the screen as he smiled then moved closer to slip his hand along Natalie's arm and she softly moaned. Her eyes opened when she saw Peter smiling at her and she smiled back. They had gone on family holidays so they knew how to be quiet when Peter moved the bedding back then kissed her lips and she cupped her hand on the back of his neck. He deepened the kiss as she slid her hand down his neck then across his shoulder then pressed her hand against his chest.

"Peter," she whispered and he rolled onto his back, looking up at her with a small smile on his face. She started unbuttoning his pajamas top then spread it open and looked at his chest. In the dim light, she could just see the gray hair sprinkled in the brown hair on his chest and she leaned closer, kissing the spot over his heart. She spread her hand through the chest hair as he sighed and she kissed up to his lips then carefully crawled on top of him. She sat on his legs as he sat up and removed the pajamas top, dropping it to the floor. Natalie slid her hands up and down his chest while they kissed and he moaned when she squeezed his nipples between her fingers and thumbs.

"Not so loud, Love," she whispered and he glanced over at the screen then smiled. He gently grabbed hold of her arms then leaned back on the bed and she rested on top of him. She made soft kisses down his chest when she slid her lips over his nipple and he cupped his mouth with his hands to prevent him from yelping. Her tongue scraped against his nipple as he rolled his eyes then she moved to the other nipple and started sucking. Blood pounded loudly in his ears as his brain became foggy and he closed his eyes, smiling. She moved down his body when she sat up and slid her hands over his stomach. He felt so tight and warm as he gave her a pleading look and she slid her hand under the flap of his pajamas bottoms. She stroked the hard shaft as he wiggled on the bed and closed his eyes. Her fingers stroked his balls, which made him moan again, when she stopped and he opened his eyes.

"Mommy, what's that noise?" a tiny, sleepy voice asked from behind the screen as Peter looked at her and she felt his shaft deflate.

"It's alright, Sweetie. Daddy had a nightmare," she said while looking down at Peter and his eyes slightly widened.

"Oh," Little Peter said when they heard him get out of bed and she got off of Peter, snuggled next to him and Peter pulled the bedding up. Little Peter appeared at the foot of the bed when he crawled onto the bed and sat between Peter and Natalie. "Are you ok, Daddy?"

"Aye," Peter said and Natalie smiled. Little Peter crawled under the bedding then snuggled next to him as Natalie looked at Peter and he smiled, rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around their son. With a sigh, he closed his eyes as Natalie watched her boys drift off to sleep and gently kissed the top of their son's head.

A loud pounding sound woke him as Alec opened his eyes and looked at the fuzzy ceiling. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his vision as the pounding grew louder and he sat up, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Bloody hell," he sighed then tossed the bedding back and got out of bed. The pounding grew louder while he placed his dressing gown on as he walked to the door then opened the door and saw Alexandra coming out of the guest bedroom. She stormed toward the front door when she unlocked the door and pulled it open. Standing on the stoop was a young man with reddish brown hair and angry green eyes and he glared at her. He was as tall as Alec, but he had a round face, a small, slightly crooked nose and thin lips. He was wearing jeans, brown cowboy boots, a gray t-shirt and a dark gray hoodie and Alexandra gave him a blank look.

"What are you doing here, Jack?" she asked and Jack Lexington growled.

"You know damn well what I'm doing here," he said and she brushed some hair out of her eyes.

"I told you when you called last night that I didn't want to see you."

"You didn't give me a chance to explain."

"Oh, I think catching you fucking my roommate made it perfectly clear," she said then sighed and titled her head to one side. "Look, just go. My dad…"

"Your dad's fucking fine! I saw him on the telly the other day," Jack shouted then saw Alec standing in the doorway to his bedroom. Sighing, Alec slowly walked toward them as he glared at Jack and placed his hands into the pockets of his dressing gown.

"Daddy, what are you doing out of bed?" Alexandra asked while walking to him and he scratched the top of his head.

"Oh, come off it," Jack said as he walked in and glared at him.

"Let's get you back to bed," Alexandra said as she gently tugged on Alec' arm and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Will you knock it off? I saw him…"

"What you saw was my cousin Peter! He and Dad are identical cousins and he's here to help out until Dad's better," Alexandra snarled and Alec gave Jack a blank look. "Come on."

"Wait, you're not shitting me, are you?" Jack asked as he came up beside them and Alec sighed. Alexandra led Alec into the bedroom then headed for the bed as he climbed onto the bed and she opened the lid of the plastic pillbox that was sitting on the night table. Jack watched her hand Alec the pills then a glass of water as Alec placed the pills in his mouth and sipped on the water.

"You rest and I'll be back with breakfast," she said then walked by Jack and glared at him. Jack looked at Alec sitting with pillows propped against his back and he had his hands in his lap. Jack admitted that Alec looked tired as Alec titled his head to one side and folded his arms across his chest.

"Did you call her last night?" Alec asked.

"I wanted to explain," Jack said softly and Alec arched his eyebrows up.

"What's there tae explain? You made it perfectly clear that you're a selfish prick," Alec said and Jack glared at him.

"I am not."

"Aye, you are. I should know. I am one. Did she tell you that I was married more tae my job than her mother? I never really meant for it tae happen. I worked my arse off, but lost the woman I loved in the process. The thing you dinnae get is Alexandra isnae me. True, she is a hard worker, but she also fits in time tae have a life outside of her studies. Most of our conversations were aboot you and how she was planning tae go into practice with you. I was a bit jealous because there was another man in her life. The sad thing is you're a twat and she's done with you," Alec said with a sigh and looked at the ceiling.

"Look, she studies all the time. The last time…"

"Have you studied heart arrhythmia yet?" Alec asked as he looked at him.

"Yes."

"So you know what causes it and what happens if it goes untreated?"

"Yes."

"I have heart arrhythmia. For eighteen months or more I decide to ignore it, but it wasnae until the last two months that it got so bad that I scared the shite out of my partner after I collapsed while chasing after a criminal. When I finally had surgery tae implant a pacemaker, my heart stopped twice during surgery and I slipped into a coma. Imagine what Alexandra was going through. Nae only after finding out that I was so ill, but during the surgery and waiting tae see if I would ever wake up."

"I…"

"She told me when she decided tae be a cardiologist it was because of me and she wanted tae help people cope with what I have as well as treat them," Alec said and half closed his eyes. "You have no idea what you've given up."

"I came here to get her back."

"But is there anything tae get back? I asked myself that when I went back tae Sandbrook after I recovered from my surgery. Turned out that the trust her mother and I had were broken beyond repair. It's one of the reasons I came back here," Alec said while Alexandra walked by Jack with a tray in her hands and Jack watched her place the tray on Alec' lap. Pressing his lips together, Jack walked to the bed when he gently took hold of Alexandra's arm and pulled her to him.

"Hey!" she protested when he kissed her lips and her eyes bugged out. Alec frowned then his eyes widened as Alexandra kneed Jack in the balls and Jack fell to the floor with a thud. He moaned then rolled onto his side when she looked at Alec and he glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She kneed him in the balls?" Ellie asked while Alec led the way down the hallway and dug his hands into his suit jacket pockets. Ellie had seen Jack going into the house and had asked Alec what was going on and he placed his hand on the door to the conference room. Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson was holding a press conference about the second fire and Alec sighed, looking at Ellie.

"Aye, she did. After he got over it, they talked and he left," Alec said.

"Is she alright?"

"She will be, though she is thinking of switching universities," Alec said then opened the door and they walked in the room. They sat next to Elaine when she started the press conference and Alec frowned, folding his hands on the table.

"_You want tae what?" he asked Alexandra as he placed some of the scrambled egg whites in his mouth and Alexandra placed her head on his shoulder._

"_I want to switch unis," she said and he sipped on the decaf tea._

"_Why?" he asked with a sour look on his face after swallowing._

"_Do you really think I can go back there after all this?" she asked then sat up and looked at him._

"_Aye, I do," he said and bit into the dry toast with some sugar-free jelly on top._

"_But, Daddy…"_

"_Do you really think running away will help?" he asked while pointing the toast at her. "Before you answer, you have tae understand what happened after Sandbrook is completely different and I had no choice, but tae come here, nae the first time and certainly nae the second."_

"_I'm not running."_

"_You're hiding then?"_

"_No."_

"_Are you sure?" he asked then took another bite of dry toast and arched an eyebrow._

"_What if I am?" she said and gave him a stern look._

"_You cannae hide forever and dinnae you think your friends at uni are going tae wonder where you are?"_

"_I have gotten emails asking if you're ok."_

"_Does that include your roommate?" he said then placed some scrambled egg whites in his mouth._

"_Yeah," she sighed and he gave her a sad puppy look._

"_Have you talked tae her?"_

"_No, why should I?"_

"_Because she's your friend," he said then moved the tray off his lap and wiped the crumbs off his t-shirt. "Look, if you're worried over going back tae the dorm and being roommates with her then just switch rooms. There has tae be a single room, aye?"_

"_There's three, but a single room's a bit more than sharing and Mum's a bit strapped right now."_

"_She never told me."_

"_She didn't want you to worry. That's why I was looking for something around here. That way I could stay and give you rent money," she said and he looked at her. The idea of having her closer would make missing her less stressful as he sighed and got out of bed._

"_Do me a favor. Think it over for a few days, ok?" he asked then headed for the bathroom and closed the door behind him._

"Sir, are you alright?" Ellie whispered as Alec blinked his eyes a few times then looked at her.

"Aye," he whispered then noticed the reporters and Elaine were looking at him and frowned. "What?"

"I asked if closing the beach would be a good idea," Elaine said as he looked at the reporters and made a little cough.

"We will be closing the section of the beach where the fires took place, but the rest of the beach will be open to the public," Alec said. Elaine took a few more questions before ending the press conference and the reporters left the room. Alec rubbed his face with his hands when he got the feeling that he was being watched and glanced over at Ellie and Elaine. "What?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Elaine asked with a look on her face that made Alec feel like he was about to get fired and he sat up straighter, clenching his jaw.

"I'm fine," he growled then stood up and quickly left the room. Elaine sighed while she watched the door close when she turned then saw the look on Ellie's face and frowned.

"Is there something you want to say?" Elaine asked.

"Yes, if you're having second thoughts about re-hiring him, think about all the people who will lose their jobs and that this town will lose not only its police department, but its ME and SOCO departments. So if you don't want to hire a shit load of people, leave him alone and let him do his job," Ellie said then got up and left the room. Elaine watched her leaving when she sighed then sat back in the chair and folded her arms over her chest.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Mind telling me why you spaced out during the press conference?" Ellie asked after opening the door and walked toward the desk with a Styrofoam box in her hand. Alec was reading the ballistics report from the second crime scene when she placed the Styrofoam box on the desk and he opened the top, looking at the lettuce with chicken strips, tomato slices and some other vegetables on top then looked at her.

"I was replaying the conversation I had with Alexandra after Jack left," he said then removed the plastic fork from the plastic wrapper and poked some of the vegetables with the plastic fork.

"I didn't know I was that boring," Ellie teased as she placed the bottle of water on the desk and he looked at her while chewing.

"You're nae boring," he said after swallowing then opened the bottle of water and took a drink. "In fact, you're doing a great job."

Ellie was shocked as he gave her a blank look then she made a soft cough and looked at the report on his desk.

"Is that the ballistic report?" she asked and he looked down at the report.

"Aye, looks like the bullets they found match the ones we found at the first crime scene."

"So they were killed by the same person," she said as he nodded and placed a forkful of lettuce in his mouth. "But why would someone want to kill homeless people?"

"Maybe…," Alec said as he took a drink of water then placed the bottle on the desk and swallowed. "Maybe they were sending a message tae the owners."

"We've checked. Neither of them knew each other. In fact, they're owned by two separate companies."

"Could it be a takeover?"

"Nope, the companies have been sharing the beach for years."

"Doesnae mean one of them doesnae want full use of the beach," Alec said then placed a forkful of vegetables in his mouth.

"Want me to send someone to check them out?" she asked and he nodded his head as he took a drink of water.

"And send someone tae talk with Coates," he said and she glared at him. "I'm just covering all the bases."

"Yeah," she said then left the inner office and closed the door behind her. Sighing, Alec looked at the Styrofoam box then shrugged and started eating. He took a sip of water when someone knocked on the door and he looked up, seeing Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson.

"Great," he said then got up, walked to the door and opened the door. "What do you want?"

"Let's go into your office," she said, but he stood in the doorway and folded his arms over his chest.

"Whatever you have tae say you can say in front of them," he said and she looked back at the others. She saw the concern and even anger in their faces as she sighed then looked back at him and Alec was glaring at her.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the press conference."

"I told you I was fine," he said, his glare made her shiver slightly.

"I understand, but if you…"

"Hold it right there," he said as he held his hand up and locked eyes with her. "Need I remind you that it was you who came and asked me if I wanted the job when you were planning on replacing Drake?!"

"And need I remind you that I'm your chief?!"

"No, now, as for why I didnae answer right away, it was because I was thinking of something and didnae hear you. And, no, I am nae going tae tell you what it was. So, if you're here tae fire me…."

"Bloody hell, Alec, do you really think I'm that heartless?! That I don't have the right to be concerned?! Or are they the only ones?!" she asked as she pointed to the others.

"Uh….," he said then clenched his jaw and slightly grinded his teeth. "Let's go into my office."

Elaine walked by him after he stood back and closed the door behind them. He walked to the desk when he motioned with his hand for her to sit down then sat down and leaned back in the chair. Elaine sat down as she looked at him and he glared at her.

"No," he finally said after they sat in silence for a few moments and she gave him a blank look.

"No?" she asked.

"No, they are nae the only ones who can be concerned over if I'm alright or nae. It's just that…," he said then sighed.

"Do you really think I'm putting you under a microscope, waiting for you to fuck things up? Well, let me assure you that I'm not. I do understand why you failed to inform me about your illness and, yes, I do think things would have ended differently if I had insisted you be removed from the Latimer case. But all this distrust…. That's the thing, isn't it? You don't trust people."

"I do, but only a certain few," he said and she nodded her head.

"I guess that happened after Sandbrook."

"No, I stop trusting people a long time ago," he said and she gave him a stunned look.

"I see," she said and he looked at the Styrofoam box, pushing it along the desk with his finger. "Let me assure you one more time that you're not under a microscope, but I don't understand why you're letting Ellie do the press conferences. You're the one in charge not her."

"Aye, but I'm…I'm just letting her get her feet wet in case…."

"You get fired?"

"Or I'm nae able tae do this, which I am," he said with a smug look on his face.

"I didn't say you weren't," she said then gave him a blank look. "Is there someone who thinks you can't?"

"It was that doctor you sent me tae. He said I was fit for duty, but I need…He wants me tae get an…," he said then sighed and Elaine smiled.

"He said you need an assistant?"

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head.

"Then I couldn't think of anyone better," she said then saw the look on his face. "Did you tell her?"

"No, she might think that I'm still ill."

"You care what she thinks?"

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head then sighed.

"Then tell her," she said then got up, turned and looked at the door. She was a little stunned to see Ellie, Peter and the others standing there when Alec stood up then placed his hands on the desk and glared at them. He watched her walk to the door when Elaine opened the door and folded her arms over her chest. "What are you doing? Get back to work."

"Is he staying?" one of the officer asked.

"He was never leaving," she said then walked by them, headed for the door and left the room. They looked at Alec when he sat down then started eating and pointed the fork at them, telling them to get back to work. Smiling, Ellie nodded her head when she walked away as he watched her then sighed, taking a long drink of water.

Peter half ran down the stairs when he headed into the bar and Becca smiled at him. With a nod of his head, he headed for the table at the back of the room and Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson looked at him with a concerned look on her face. She had seen his file, but still couldn't get over how much he and Alec looked alike. She did see that Peter didn't have the same sour look on his face nor did he look so tired and washed out and wonder what had happened to Alec.

"Chief," Peter said while standing in front of the table and she looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"Please sit," she said while motioning with her hand for him to sit down. Peter sat down the folded his hands on the table and looked at her. That was when she noticed the same intensity in his eyes that she had seen in Alec' eyes and she sighed, folding her hands on the table. "I guess you're wondering why I asked to see you."

"My answer is no," Peter said with a cool tone to his voice.

"Pardon?" she asked, looking confused.

"I'm nae going tae take over for DI Hardy or spy on him for you."

"Why would you think that's why I wanted to see you?"

"Is it?" he asked and she saw the same angry look in his face that she's seen in Alec' face.

"This is so confusing. Are you and Hardy brothers?"

"No, we're identical cousins."

"I see," she said then sat back in the chair. "Do you have trust issues, too?"

"Aye, I do, but nae as bad as he does," Peter said then glanced at his watch. "Are we done?"

"No, I want to know what happened to him that turned him into such a cold hearted bastard."

"Sorry, that's something you have to ask him," Peter said as he got up and looked at her. "It's funny. You want tae know why he doesnae trust people, but you're the one who doesnae trust him."

"He's lied in the past."

"Aye, we all have," he said and she gave him a confused look.

"Is there anyone he does trust?" she asked when he shrugged then turned and walked away. Watching him go up the stairs, Elaine sighed then sipped on the wine she had ordered and frowned, strumming her fingers on the table.

"Got room for one more?" Ellie asked as she walked up the front path and looked at Alec sitting on the front stoop. He was wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt with what looked like a shadow of a squirrel or a cat wearing a trench coat and fedora and his hands were dangling between his knees. He was barefoot and was looking up at the sky. Even though she had seen him in jeans, t-shirts or jumpers and wearing his sneakers, she was used to seeing him in a suit and tie with dark shoes.

"It's a free stoop," he said after he looked at her and moved over so she could sit down.

"Is Alexandra ok?" she asked, looking at the door.

"Aye, she's video chatting with some friends," he said then wiped his face with his hands and looked at the sky again. "I thought she'd like some…privacy."

"That was nice of you," she said and he glanced at her.

"I can be nice," he said as he lowered his head to look at her and arched his eyebrows up.

"Is everything really alright? It looked like you were having a serious conversation with the Chief."

"I was just setting her straight."

"You mean when you faded out at the press conference."

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head.

"She seemed upset with how you were treating her," she said and he gave her a sour look.

"She was out of line."

"So were you."

"I had reasons."

"What else were you talking about?" she asked and scooted closer. He noticed how close she was, but was surprised that a part of him liked her closeness and sighed.

"She told me that I have trust issues," he said and she softly smiled.

"You do."

"Aye, I know that. I just didnae think she noticed," he sighed and wiped his face with his hands. He looked up at the night sky while the stars twinkled in the darkness and his face softened. "I did tell her something."

"What?"

"The doctor she sent me tae said I was fit for work, but I need…," he said then lowered his head and saw the concern and worry in her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry, old habit. What did he say?"

"He said that I need…an assistant," he said and she looked shocked.

"He did?"

"Aye, he did and I decided that he's right. I do need help."

"Who's it going to be?"

"Well, the person I have in mind is a hard worker, but annoys the fuck out of me. They're always asking annoying questions and always wants me tae talk even when I'm nae in the mood. I know they care, but they need tae stop babying me," he said as she looked at him for a few minutes then nudged him and rolled her eyes.

"It's me, right?"

"Aye, but only if you want tae," he said then looked at the stars again and sighed. "Bugger, how did this happen?"

"I think it might have to do with your parents fighting all the time," she said and he frowned.

"That's nae what I mean. How did I end up enjoying all this? I was never a fan of fresh air. I loathe the beach and the open sky. I never felt comfortable around friendly people. Now I enjoy the smell of air after a storm or when someone's barbequing down the street. I sit out here and watch the sunset. I go for long walks on the beach. I like going tae the arcade on the boardwalk. I go tae church and stay and talk with people afterwards. I even chatted with the cashier at the market the other day," he said and she pressed her lips together to prevent herself from giggling.

"Maybe you finally realize that this is where you belong," she said and he gave her a puzzled look after lowering his head then blinked his eyes a few times. Patting his knee, she got up when she headed down the front path then turned and looked at him. "Better get inside. It's getting chilly."

He watched her until she went in the house then got up and looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled at him when he softly sighed then turned around and went inside, closing the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Olly knew that Alec wasn't going to talk to him, but he had to try as he walked up the stairs then headed for the door. The security guard looked at him when Olly stood in front of the lift and waved at him.

"May I help you?" the security guard asked.

"Do you know if DI Hardy is here?" Olly asked and the security guard looked at the clipboard in his hands.

"Yeah, he is."

"Can you call up and tell him that Olly Stevens is here? I need to talk to him."

"Hang on," the security guard said as he picked up the receiver and pushed the buttons.

Alec looked at the reports then sat back when he removed the wire rimmed glasses and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Sighing, he placed the wire rimmed glasses on the desk and puffed a breath of air. He was a bit startled when the phone rang as he picked up the receiver and held the receiver to his ear.

"DI Hardy, how may I help you?" he asked.

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but there is an Olly Stevens down here and he wishes to talk to you."

Alec sighed then rolled his eyes when he placed his head in his hand and frowned.

"Send him up."

"Yes, Sir," the voice said then ended the call and Alec placed the receiver back on the cradle. A few minutes later Olly knocked on the door as Alec looked at him and wiggled two fingers for him to come in. Olly opened the door when he headed for the desk and Alec pointed at the door. Shrugging, Olly turned then closed the door when he walked back to the desk and Alec looked at him.

"You wanted tae talk?" he asked and Olly nodded his head.

"I went to talk with the arson investigator about the fires on the beach and he told me something interesting," Olly said and sat down on the chair in front of the desk. Alec looked through the reports when he found the arson investigator reports and placed the wire rimmed glasses on.

"You mean the sand? He mentioned that there was something odd," Alec said and glanced over at Olly.

"Yeah, he said that the heat from the fire was hot enough that it melted the sand into glass."

"There are some accelerants that can do that."

"But the sand around the bodies wasn't turned into glass!" Olly said with wide eyes and Alec tilted his head to one side. Before he could say anything, Ellie opened the door while knocking then looked at Olly and sighed.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but SOCO called. There was another fire on the beach," she said and Alec sighed, taking the wire rimmed glasses off. Standing up, Alec walked to the coatrack when he took his suit jacket and coat off the hook and placed the suit jacket and coat on. Ellie walked away while Alec looked at Olly and gave him a blank stare.

"Come on," he said as Olly smiled then got up and followed him out of the office.

The breeze moved the yellow police tape while the officers talked with some of the crowd who had gathered and the SOCO team set up the white tents. The black car stopped at the curb when Peter, Alec, Olly and Ellie got out of the car and walked down the beach. They showed their identification to the officers and Olly showed them his press pass as one of the officers lifted the yellow police tape and they ducked under the yellow police tape. They walked a few steps when Alec held up a hand to make Olly stop and Olly gave him a confused look.

"Talk with them, but do nae go near the tents or bother the SOCO team," Alec said and Olly nodded his head. He watched Alec walk toward Ellie and Peter then sighed as he turned to one of the officers and started talking to him about what happened.

"That was nice," Ellie said with a nod of her head to Olly and Alec gave her a blank look then walked to Brian, who was talking to one of his assistants. Brian saw them when the assistant walked away and Brian placed his hands behind his back.

"Well?" Alec asked.

"The fire was reported at six this morning and it took about an hour and a half to put out," Brian said while Alec looked at the burnt rental boats and sighed.

"Was there a body?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Brian said as he led them to the white tarp and sighed. "From what we can tell, this one's a female."

"Did you find any bullet casings?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, they're being bagged. I'll send a report once we're done here."

"Um….," Alec said as he glanced over at Olly and wiped his face with his hands. "Check the sand around the boats and the body."

"What should I be looking for?" Brian said with a confused look on his face.

"Glass," Alec said then walked away when he saw someone talking with Olly near the yellow police tape and the person was pointing toward the rental boats. The man was as tall as Alec, but had black hair cut in a military buzz cut and was wearing a white muscle shirt with Shark Rentals on the front and tight jeans. His feet were bare and he looked like he spent most of his time lifting weights. His dark green eyes shimmered in the sunlight and he seemed adamant about getting passed the yellow police tape. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the man demanded and Alec showed him his identification. "I'm Jeff Hills. This is my rental place."

"When did you close last night?"

"I closed at sunset."

"When was that?"

"It was seven."

"Where did you go after you closed?"

"I went to the inn for a few drinks then I went home."

"You were alone when you got home?"

"No, my wife and kids were there."

"Did you see anyone hanging around after you closed?"

"No, it was just me and Ginger," Jeff said then looked around. "Where is Ginger?"

"Is she your night guard?"

"Well, yeah, and she also does odd jobs for me," Jeff said and Alec sighed.

"Go see if DI Benson found anything," Alec said to Olly when Olly frowned then nodded his head, heading off to find Ellie. Looking at Jeff, Alec frowned then placed his hands behind his back and half closed his eyes. "Was Ginger homeless?"

"Yeah, but why did you send that guy away?"

"Never mind him. How long has she been working for you?"

"It's been three years."

"Who recommended her?"

"It was Reverend Coates," Jeff said and Alec nodded his head. "Why are you asking questions about Ginger? You don't think she did it, do you?"

"No, but…," Alec said then looked at the officer standing next to Jeff. "Let him through."

The officer lifted the yellow police tape as Jeff ducked under it then they walked to the white tarp and Jeff looked at it.

"Is that….?" Jeff asked with a shocked look on his face.

"It could be her. We'll know more after the SOCO and ME reports," Alec said and Jeff nodded. "Do you know if she seemed nervous or anything?"

"Well…yeah, she seemed a little skittish, but wouldn't tell me why," Jeff said with a sigh and Alec arched an eyebrow.

"Thank you," Alec said as Jeff nodded then walked off and Alec looked down at the white tarp. Peter walked closer then stood next to him and Alec glanced at him. "She was homeless."

"Does that mean we're going to see Coates?" Peter asked and Alec looked up at the sky.

"Aye," he sighed then they walked toward Ellie and Olly and Alec placed his hands in his coat pockets.

Paul sat in his office when he heard someone knocking on the front door when he got up and walked down the aisle. He opened the door when he saw Ellie, Peter, Olly and Alec standing there and Paul gave them a confused look.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"We need to talk, Paul," Ellie said.

"What can I do for you?"

"There's been another fire on the beach," Peter said. "They found a body."

"Not again," Paul sighed then stood back to let them in. Alec turned to look at Olly and Olly frowned.

"Stay here," Alec said and Olly said, nodding his head. Paul closed the door when he walked to the pews and leaned against one of them, folding his arms over his chest.

"Did you recommend someone for work at Shark Rentals?" Ellie asked.

"Yes," Paul said with a nod of his head.

"Her name was Ginger?" Alec asked.

"Yes, her name was Ginger Lange. Was she…was she the body found on the beach?" Paul asked.

"We think so," Peter said.

"Shit," Paul whispered and rubbed his fingers through his hair.

"Do you know why she was homeless?" Alec asked.

"She…she was hiding," Paul said as he gently kicked off the pew and started pacing.

"Who was she hiding from?" Ellie asked.

"I can't tell you as she told me this during confession, but I do know she was scared," Paul said then balled his hands into fists. "Damn, those poor kids."

"She had children?" Ellie asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, she had three. The shelter has a daycare for the women so they can go to work," Paul said then lowered his head.

"Was she married?" Peter asked and Paul lifted his head to look at him.

"Not that I know of," Paul said and Alec pressed his lips together and folded his arms over his chest.

"Do you have a file on her?" Alec asked and Ellie handed Paul the warrant.

"Yeah, hold on and I'll go get it," Paul said then headed for the office and Ellie looked at Alec.

"Those poor kids," she sighed and Alec nodded his head.

"Do you think whoever she's hiding from might be connected with the case?" Peter asked. Before Alec could answer, Paul came out of his office and walked toward them.

"Here's her file," Paul said, handing the file to Ellie. "I called Human Services and they'll go get the kids."

"Fine," Alec said then turned and headed for the door and Peter followed him. Paul looked at Ellie when he sighed and sat down hard on the pew.

"I'm a suspect again, aren't I?" he asked, looking at her.

"No, you're not," Ellie said then went to catch up with Peter and Alec and Paul watched them leave. Sighing, he placed his head in his hands then looked up at the cross above the mantle and started praying.

"I'm back," Olly said while heading for his desk and Maggie came down the stairs.

"Find anything?" she asked as he removed the notepad from his jacket pocket and flipped through the pages.

"Oh yeah," he said as he turned the computer on and opened a Words' window.

"I'm amazed Hardy even talked to you."

"So did I, but he seemed interested after I told him what the arson investigator told me," Olly said then started typing his notes into the computer and Maggie smiled, patting his shoulder. "He even let me ride along after getting a call from SOCO."

"There was another fire?" Maggie asked, getting excited.

"Yep, and another body," Olly said while looking at his notes.

"What, do they know who it was?" Maggie asked, leaning on the back of the chair.

"Hardy told me that is was Ginger Lange."

"Isn't that the girl you've been seeing?"

"Yeah," Olly sighed.

"Didn't you say she had kids?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod of his head.

"Did Hardy say what's going to happen to the kids?" Maggie asked and Olly typed on the keyboard.

"Human Services have them," Olly said as Maggie nodded, patted him on the shoulder then walked away and headed up the stairs. Olly looked at the screen when he sighed then typed on the keyboard and tears rolled down his cheeks.

_A loud crashing sound filled his ears then screaming as he felt himself falling into the water and the darkness surrounded him. He had been slightly stunned from hitting the water as he tried to figure out which way was up and felt the air in his lungs burning. Suddenly someone or something grabbed onto him as he started going upward and gasped for air when they came to the surface._

"_Got him," a male voice said as he felt himself being lifted onto a large piece of wood and heard someone crying._

"_Easy, Lad, you're ok," another male voice said._

"_But it hurts," a little boy whined and the other male hushed whoever it was. It took a few seconds to figure out who was talking when he blinked his eyes a few times then turned, seeing his father next to him. He looked at the other man then recognized the little boy, but a sudden feeling that someone was missing made his heart thunder in his chest._

"_Da, where's Alec?"_

Gasping, Peter sat up on the bed when he wiped his face with his hands and his heart thundered in his ears. He placed his arms on his knees as he breathed deeply through his nose until his heart slowed down then carefully got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He turned the light on after he closed the door when he walked to the bathtub and removed his pajamas bottoms. Turning on the water, he stepped into the bathtub when he closed the shower curtain and placed his hands on the tile, the water pounding the back of his head after he lowered it. He didn't know why he kept having the same dream since he came to Broadchurch as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Shit," he whispered then picked up the washcloth and body wash and placed some bath wash on the washcloth.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson watched as the press and news reporters sat down when she looked at Alec and Ellie and Ellie noticed the look on Alec' face. He looked angry as he strummed his fingers on the table and she gently placed her hand on top of his hand. He looked from her hand to her when he barely nodded his head and Elaine started the press conference. She talked about the fire and finding the body on the beach and assured the press that Ginger's children have been placed under Human Services' care.

"Seeing this is the third fire in three days, will the beach be closed down?" one of the reporters asked with a blank look on his face.

"I'm afraid we will be closing the beach until further notice," Ellie said.

"What about the patrols? Why haven't they seen anything?"

"It seems the person or persons doing these crimes have been able to get around the patrols."

"Which means they're being watched?"

"I cannot comment on that at this time."

"Has the CCTV cameras been checked?"

"They are being checked as we speak," Ellie said then took some more questions. Elaine ended the press conference when the reporters left the room and Ellie looked at Alec. He got up then followed the reporters out of the room when he saw Maggie and Olly and balled his hands into fists.

"Mister Stevens, I want a word with you!" he said as Olly and Maggie looked at him and Maggie nodded her head. Olly walked to Alec when he saw the anger in his eyes and wonder why he was so angry.

"What's wrong?" Olly asked.

"I saw the look on your face during the conference. Did you know Ginger Lange?" Alec asked and Olly pressed his lips together.

"We…we've dated," Olly said and Alec folded his arms across his chest, waiting for him to continue. "We met last year. I had just broken up with my girlfriend…"

"Did she ever mention if she was married?"

"No, but she did mention she had a boyfriend before she came to Broadchurch. She said he was a real arsehole. He drank and would smack the hell out of her so one day she packed up and took off with the kids. She didn't know how, but he would always find her and threatened to kill her if she didn't come back with him," Olly said then gave him a worried look. "You don't think he did this, do you?"

"I cannae say at the moment. Thanks," Alec said then turned and walked down the hallway. Olly watched him go around the corner while Maggie walked closer and placed her hand on Olly's shoulder.

A knock on the door made Alec look up when Peter opened the door and walked in the room. He walked to the chair in front of the desk when he sat down and Alec tilted his head to one side.

"You look knackered," he said and Peter slightly smiled.

"I didnae sleep well last night," he sighed and Alec placed his lower arms on the desk.

"What's wrong?" he asked and Peter sat back against the chair.

"It was just a bad dream," he said and looked at the paper in front of Alec. "Is that the ballistic report?"

"Aye," Alec said then looked at the report. "The bullet casings match."

"And Ginger Lange, have you found the boyfriend?" Peter asked and Alec sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "According tae her file, she listed no next of kin and had listed the children as fatherless,"

"Blood marvelous," Peter sighed when Ellie appeared in the doorway and Alec looked at her.

"We got the CCTV camera footage," Ellie said as Peter and Alec got up and followed her out of the room. She sat at her desk as she typed on the keyboard and Alec leaned over the top of the chair. They looked at the footage when she looked at Alec then looked back at the screen. "I asked for footage of the last few days and noticed this."

On the screen was the early morning footage as they watched the screen when she pointed to a tall figure wearing what looked like a gray hoodie, jeans and boots and whoever it was seemed to be carrying a large, black sack over their right shoulder.

"What is that?" Alec asked, pointing at the screen.

"I don't know," Ellie said, typing on the keyboard.

"It looks like some sort of sack," Peter said. They watched the figure heading down the street until reaching the main road toward the beach and vanished.

"Any footage on the CCTV cameras on the beach?" he asked and Ellie typed on the keyboard. They watched as the images change and she pointed at the screen.

"There's no one on the beach," she said and typed on the keyboard.

"There should be," Alec said while frowning and tilted his head to one side. Ellie typed on the keyboard when they saw the figure coming toward the rental boats then placed the black sack on the sand. Ellie tried to get a close up of the face, but the image was too grainy and the figure picked up something. The figure walked to one of the rental boats and placed whatever it was on the sand. Ellie typed on the keyboard as the screen showed a small figure and Ellie typed on the keyboard.

"That looks like a dog," Peter said and Ellie nodded her head.

"It must be Lucky," Alec said. They watched the figure removed a larger figure then dragged it toward the rental boats and placed the large figure next to the smaller figure. Ellie still couldn't get a clear image as they watched whoever it was walk to one of the rental boats and ducked down. "Shite, they had the accelerants under the boats."

"You'd think the dog would have smelt them," Ellie said.

"He might have and Lenny went tae confront whoever this is," Peter said.

"Which got him killed," Alec sighed. "Let's see the rest."

Ellie typed on the keyboard as she brought up the rest of the CCTV coverage and they watched as the figure moved down the street with another black sack on their shoulder and headed down the street.

"That must be Jake Taylor in the sack," Peter said and Alec nodded his head. They watched the scene changed to the beach and the figure placed the black sack down. They watched as whoever it was dragged Jake's body to the rental boats then walked to a rental boat. They watched the rest of the footage as Alec stood up straight and sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "He must have found the accelerants."

"Aye," Alec said and Ellie typed on the keyboard. Ellie typed on the keyboard when they watched the next footage and the figure walked down the street, carrying the black sack in their arms. "That has tae be Ginger Lange's body."

Ellie nodded her head as she typed on the keyboard and they watched as the figure arrived on the beach. The figure placed the black sack on the sand then removed Ginger Lange's body from the black sack. After placing her body near the rental boats, the figure walked to the rental boats and ducked down.

"Guess they're looking for the accelerants," Peter said and Ellie nodded her head. They watched the rest of the footage, but Ellie still couldn't get a clear look at the face and she sighed.

"This is so bloody frustrated," she sighed and Alec leaned over the back of the chair, looking at the screen.

"Go back tae when we first see the figure," Alec said and Ellie typed on the keyboard. "Can you see which direction they're coming from?"

"Hold on," Ellie said as she typed then looked at the screen and frowned. "Oh shit."

"What?" Peter asked.

"According to this, they came from the direction of the church," Ellie sighed and Alec stood up, looking at ceiling.

"Coates," he sighed then walked away while Peter looked at Ellie and she looked at the screen, balling her hands into fists.

Paul straightened the hymnals when someone knocked on the door and he walked to the door, opening the door enough to look out at Alec and some officers standing on the stoop. Paul opened the door wider when he looked at Alec and saw the anger in his eyes.

"May I help you?" he asked and Alec sighed, placing his hands in his coat pocket.

"Reverend Coates, you need tae come with us," Alec said and Paul frowned, giving him a confused look.

"May I ask why?"

"We need tae ask you some question regarding the murders on the beach."

"You already did that."

"Something has occurred and we need tae ask some more questions."

"I see," Paul sighed and held up a finger. "I need to get my coat."

Alec followed him inside as they headed for his office and Paul turned, looking at him.

"Do you really think I did it?"

"I hope nae," Alec said and Paul saw that he was telling the truth.

"This is new," Paul said when he removed the leather coat from the peg on the coat rack and placed the leather jacket on. "The Alec Hardy I met wouldn't have given a shit if I was guilty or not."

"People change," Alec said softly and looked at the painting of Jesus over Paul's desk.

"For the better if you ask me," Paul said as he walked by Alec then Alec turned and followed him down the aisle. Alec held the door open as they left the church then closed the door and they headed down the path.

The interrogation room was quiet as Paul sat on one side of the table and Ellie, Alec and Peter sat on the other side. Alec pushed the button on the digital recorder as he sighed and placed his hands on the table.

"This is DI Alec Hardy," he said then looked at Paul and frowned. "Reverend Coates, I want to thank you for co-operating during this investigation."

"You're welcome," Paul said.

"Lenny Walker, how long have you known him?" Alec asked.

"I met him three years ago. He came to church on Sundays and helped out at church functions."

"Did you ever argue with him?"

"No," Paul said with a shake of his head.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"It was last Sunday."

"Lenny was homeless. Were you the one who recommended him for a job?"

"Yes," Paul said with a nod of his head.

"Jake Taylor, did you know him?"

"Yes," Paul said with a nod of his head.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"It was two months ago."

"He was homeless. Did you recommend him for a job?"

"Yes."

"Ginger Lange, did you know her?"

"Yes," Paul sighed, closing his eyes.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"It was four days ago."

"Did she seem upset?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you why."

"Did it have anything tae do with her boyfriend?" Alec asked and Paul's eyes widened.

"You think Olly killed her?" Paul asked with a shock look on his face.

"No, I mean her boyfriend before that,"

"I can't tell you."

"We could get permission."

"I'm sorry," Paul sighed and Alec nodded his head.

"She was homeless as well. Did you recommend her for a job?"

"Yes," Paul sighed.

"Until we learn more, we're going tae put you in holding," Alec said when he turned the digital recorder off and Paul sighed, nodding his head. They watched as the officer walked closer and led Paul out of room and Peter went with them. Ellie looked at Alec as he placed his head in his hands and she gently rubbed his back, making him look at her.

The black car stopped at the curb as Ellie watched Alec get out of the car and closed the door. She got out of the car then walked around to the other side of the car and saw him looking up at the sky. She knew he was tired and angry as she slowly reached for his hand and he looked down. Wrapping his fingers around her fingers, he glanced at her then squeezed her fingers and let go of her hand. She watched him walk away then go inside when she sighed and headed down the front path.

The stars twinkled in the night sky as the wind blew some papers around and the soft sound of footsteps filled the air. The shadows of the warehouses stretched across the sides of one another while the cargo boats gently rocked on the water and the soft hum came from the overhead lights. Fingers pushed the buttons on a security panel near a door when a low beeping sound came from the security panel and the door opened. The door closed and a few seconds later a flash of light appeared then a soft glow that grew brighter and the door opened. Someone ran when the sounds of sirens echoed in the darkness and smoke billowed out of the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

_The moon was full that night as the wind blew through his hair and the smell of the sea filled his nose. Eleven year old Alec stood at the edge of the cliff when he looked down at the sand and his heart slammed in his chest. His father had been harping about having to get time off from work just so he could be dragged off on a family holiday with his mother's family, having to drive the caravan, the cost of petrol and food and how there was barely enough room in the caravan for them let alone Alec. Alec was saved from being in the caravan long when he found out that he was sharing a caravan with Peter, who was fifteen, Campbell, who was seven, and Peter's four older brothers Alec had spent most of the holiday sitting on the beach, watching the water, but tonight was the night he decided to end it. His parents were arguing when he slid out of the caravan and headed for the cliff. He looked out at the view from the top of the cliff for a long time then finally sighed, backed away from the edge of the cliff and headed for the trail._

"_Ow," Campbell said after Alec nearly crushed his chest after sneaking back into the caravan after opening a window and Peter turned the light on. Peter's older brothers had taken his father's car to one of the other towns for the night so it was just the three of them and Peter sat up on the small bed and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. Campbell was tucked in a sleeping bag, but he was now trying to get the zipper open and Alec sighed, rubbing his face with his hands._

"_Where have you been?" Peter asked while Alec removed his sweatshirt and tossed it onto a chair._

"_I went for a walk," Alec said while Campbell half tumbled out of the sleeping bag and sat on the floor._

"_Why didnae you take me?" he asked and Alec slightly smiled at his wide eyed cousin. Campbell enjoyed trailing after him and Peter and Alec knelt on the floor next to him._

"_Because I was going tae do something stupid," Alec said and Peter walked closer and sat on the floor in front of them._

"_You were?" Peter asked and Alec nodded his head._

"_You know that cliff just down the beach?" Alec asked and they nodded their heads. "I was going tae jump off of it."_

"_That is stupid," Campbell said and gently shoved him. "If you had done that, you would have been…."_

"_Aye," Alec said as they realized what he was going to do and Campbell's lower lip started quivering. "Ah, dinnae do that. I changed my mind."_

"_But…but….but…," Campbell said as the tears started falling and Alec sighed, wrapping his arms around him. Campbell cried against his shoulder while Peter glared at Alec and Alec sighed, rolling his eyes._

"_Come on," Alec said as he tried to calm Campbell down and a few minutes later Campbell stopped crying and Peter handed him one of his brothers' shirts so he could blow his nose._

"_Promise me you'll never ever do something like that again!" Campbell pleaded and Alec sadly smiled._

"_Only if you two promise tae never tell anyone that I was going tae kill myself," Alec said and they nodded their heads. A few minutes later they were in bed as Alec looked at the dark ceiling and placed his hands behind his head._

The beeping sound woke him as Alec opened his eyes and blinked until his vision cleared. He had no idea why he was dreaming about the day he nearly killed himself as he sat up and wiped his face with his hands. He picked up the plastic pill case when he opened the top of the plastic pill case and jiggled the pills into his hand. He placed the pills in his mouth then took a drink of water and sighed, sitting against the wall.

"Why now?" he whispered then got out of bed and went in the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The soft thumping of a heartbeat woke her while Natalie moved her fingers along the soft skin and the heartbeat grew faster. They had been quiet while making love the night before and Peter had made her climax three times. She often wondered why he was so scared that she would reject him because of what he had to do to keep her and she playfully wiggled the top of his nipple back and forth.

"Silly sausage," she whispered when he took a deep breath through his nose then slowly let it out and she looked up at him. Black stubble dotted his neck, chin and cheeks and she ran her finger over the stubble. He barely smiled as she stroked the side of his neck and felt his skin tingling under her fingers. Slowly sliding her hand over his shoulder, across his chest then down to the top of the covers, she felt him wiggle on the bed and she kissed his chest. "Good morning."

"Someone's frisky this morning," he said as he opened his eyes and looked at the fuzzy ceiling. He normally hated it when he slept in his contacts, but his vision cleared and he tried not to giggle as she stroked his side. Both of them jumped when "The Doctor and I" filled the air and he picked up the smart phone that was lying on the night table. Natalie gave him an amused look as he stuck his tongue out at her then pushed the button. "DI Peter Carlisle, how may I help you?"

"Morning, Peter," Ellie said and he smiled.

"Morning, Ellie, what's up?"

"I just got a call from SOCO," she said and he sighed.

"Has there been another fire on the beach?"

"No, this time it was on the docks. Get dressed and I'll come pick you up."

"Fine," he said then ended the call and looked at Natalie. "I am so…"

"Just go," she said then kissed his lips and he moved the covers back. Looking down, he sighed at his semi-hard erection and shrugged while looking at her. Natalie softly laughed when he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

Yellow police tape fluttered in the wind as the police officers stood in front of the yellow police tape and people gathered to see what was going on. Fire trucks, a coroner car and SOCO vehicles were parked at the curb while a black car pulled up behind one of the SOCO vehicles and the doors opened. Alec led the way as they walked to the yellow police tape when they showed the officers their identification and the officer lifted the yellow police tape so they could duck under it. They walked to Brian while he chatted with one of his team then looked at them and sighed.

"Well?" Alec asked, looking at the partially burned warehouse and placed his hands in his coat pocket.

"A call came to 999 around six fifteen this morning and the fire was put out about an hour ago," Brian said and Alec glanced at him.

"Do they know who owns the building?"

"It belongs to Logger Head Shipping. The owner was contacted."

"Was anyone in the building?"

"We found a body in what we think was the security office," Brian said as he pointed to the body bag sitting on the ground near the coroner car and Alec nodded. "We also found what looks like melted metal. I'll know more after the lab results."

"So this might nae be related tae the murders on the beach," Alec said and Brian sighed.

"Yeah," Brian said as Alec pressed his lips together then walked away and headed for Ellie and Peter.

"Did they find anything?" Ellie asked.

"They found a body and…," Alec said when a blue car arrived and the driver side door opened. A tall man with brown hair and gray eyes stormed toward them as Alec noticed the expensive suit, the white shirt, the black tie and shoes the man was wearing and arched an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that's the owner."

"What the hell?!" the man shouted then looked at Alec and stormed toward him until they were face to face. "Who did this?!"

"That depends. Who are you?" Alec asked with a blank look on his face.

"I'm Robert Connors."

"And this is your warehouse?"

"Yes, who the fuck are you?" Robert asked and they showed him their identifications.

"When does this warehouse close?"

"We close up around eight."

"Were you here last night?"

"No, I was at home."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"Yes," Robert said with a nod of his head then looked at the warehouse, sighing.

"Was anyone working here last night?"

"Just my night guard," Robert said and Alec looked at Ellie and Peter.

"What was your night guard's name?" Ellie asked.

"His name is Devon Carson," Robert said and frowned. "You don't think he did this, do you?"

"No, but they did find a body," Peter said and Robert's eyes widened.

"Shit, was it Devon?"

"We don't know until we get a coroner's report," Ellie said.

"Was Devon homeless?" Alec asked and Robert gave him a confused look.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Was he?"

"Well, yeah, he was," Robert said and Alec placed his hands behind his back.

"Was he recommended for work by Reverend Coates?"

"Yeah, he was," Robert said and Ellie saw where Alec was going with his questioning.

"We will inform you when we find out something," Alec said as he walked away and Ellie looked from him to Robert and sighed.

The knock on the door made him look up at Alec placed his lower arms on the desk and nodded his head. Ellie opened the door when she and Peter walked in the inner office and Ellie closed the door behind them. She knew Chief Superintendent Jenkinson had called a press conference for later that day and Ellie walked to the desk, placing the report down in front of him.

"What's this?" Alec asked.

"That's the ballistic report from the warehouse," Ellie said and he picked up the report, reading it.

"The melted metal they found matches the bullet casings from the beach."

"Yes, and we got a warrant to check Coates' files. Devon Carson was one of the people he was counseling."

"But Coates spent the night in holding."

"Which means he couldnae have killed Devon," Peter said and Alec sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"But that doesnae mean Coates didnae kill the other three."

"Are you saying we either have a copycat or someone else killed Devon?" Ellie asked.

"I cannae say one way or the other," he said then wiped his face with his hands and looked up at the ceiling. "What I dinnae understand is why they went from setting fires on the beach tae setting a warehouse on fire."

"We closed the beach," Ellie said and they gave her a slightly stunned look and Alec removed his wire rimmed glasses, placing the wire rimmed glasses in his shirt pocket.

"We closed the beach," Alec repeated as he got up and headed for the coat rack. He got his suit jacket on as they watched him when he opened the inner office door, turned and looked at them.

"So we closed the beach," Ellie said and he pointed a finger at her while pressing his lips together.

"We made them jump ahead of schedule," he said as he left the inner office and headed for the dry board. They followed him when he looked at the map someone had placed on the dry board and he looked at the red circles drawn on the map where the fires on the beach happened. "There are several boat rental places along the beach, but these were hit because there were homeless people working there. I had the other boat rental places checked out and these here also hire homeless people."

Alec took a marker out of the cup sitting in the holder on the side of the dry board and circled several rental places along the beach in blue.

"But the warehouse is here," Peter said as he picked up a marker and circled the warehouse in green.

"And they skipped the docks," Ellie said.

"Or they were saving them for last. There are several fishing boats that use homeless as well," Alec said and circled the docks in yellow.

"So, by closing the beach…," Ellie said and Alec nodded, placing the cap on the marker with a loud snap. "We need to tell the Chief."

"I will after the press conference," Alec said as he turned then headed for the door and Ellie followed close behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson sat and watched while Ellie talked to the press about the fire at the warehouse and Elaine was impressed how well she was handling them. Alec glanced at Ellie from time to time and answered questioned when Elaine ended the press conference and the reporters left the room.

"That went well," Elaine said, standing up.

"We need tae talk," Alec said after standing up and walking to her.

"What's wrong?" Elaine asked.

"We need to reopen the beach," Ellie asked and Elaine's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"We believe whoever this is might have jumped ahead of schedule," Alec said then explained their findings and Elaine folded her arms over her chest.

"So you want to reopen the beach and risk someone else being killed?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Someone might get killed if we don't," Ellie said.

"And if whoever this is does set fire to another boat rental place?" Elaine asked, tilting her head to one side. "It might just be a copycat."

"We left out the fact the bodies were shot before they were set on fire," Alec said. "If there is another fire, and we find bullet casings that match the ones we have, then we'll know they're back on schedule."

"That is a big risk," Elaine said. "Have you checked the CCTV security cameras from around the dock?"

"They're sending the recordings over. We'll get them some time tonight," Ellie said and Elaine nodded her head.

"Check those first then contact me," she said then left the room and Ellie looked at Alec. He looked tired and angry as he sighed then glanced at her. Gently tapping his fingers against her fingers, they left the room and the door closed behind them.

Olly sat at his desk as he looked over the stories about the fires when Maggie walked down the stairs, walked to his desk and sat on the edge of the desk.

"What's wrong, Love?" Maggie asked and he sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"Something's missing," Olly said as he looked at the stories and frowned.

"Like what?" Maggie asked, looking at the screen after standing up.

"I'm not sure," Olly said and blinked his eyes a few times. "And doesn't it seem odd that whoever this is went from setting fires on the beach to setting a warehouse on fire?"

"Maybe they're unrelated."

"I did ask the arson investigator to send me information on the warehouse fire and he said he'll send it tomorrow."

"Great," Maggie said as she patted his shoulder then headed for the stairs and Olly sighed, looking at the screen.

Alec and Peter stood near Ellie's desk while she typed on the keyboard and looked at the screen. They had finally got the CCTV security camera footage from the dock and Peter saw something on the screen.

"Who is that?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

"Hold on," Ellie typed on the keyboard and the image became clearer. On the screen was a figure in the gray hoodie, jeans and boots and something that looked like gas cans were in their hands. The figure in the gray hoodie headed down the dock when they stopped at the door and Ellie typed on the keyboard to get a closer look at the figure. "Fuck, I still can't get a good look at their face."

"Keep trying," Alec said while they watched the figure as the figure opened the door and went inside the warehouse. "Could that be Devon Carson?"

"No," Ellie said as she changed screens and pointed to the figure walking down the dock. She zoomed in on the figure then froze the image and did a face recognition program. A few seconds later a picture of Devon appeared on the screen and Alec sighed, pressing his lips together.

"Then how did the other figure get into the warehouse?" Peter asked.

"That's what I'd like tae know," Alec said then walked to the inner office and went inside. Ellie looked at Peter when he shrugged and went back to looking at the screen.

The interrogation room was quiet as the door opened and Alec walked in the room. Robert Connors sat at the table when Alec sat on the chair on the other side of the table and turned the digital recorder on.

"This is DI Alec Hardy," he said then looked at Robert and frowned. "Mister Connors, thank you for coming."

"Mind telling me what this is all about?" Robert asked.

"We've been looking at the CCTV camera footage from the docks and we found something."

"You saw who set the warehouse on fire?"

"Aye, but didnae get a good look at their face. What we did find was whoever it was had access tae the warehouse shortly before the fire."

"The only people who could get into the warehouse at night were me, my partner and Devon."

"What is your partner's name?" Alec asked as he removed a notepad and pen from his suit jacket pocket and opened the notepad.

"His name is Douglas Martins, but he is on holiday with his family," Robert said and Alec wrote on the notepad, placed the notepad and pen back in his suit jacket pocket and folded his hands on the table.

"Do you and Mister Martins get along?"

"Yes, we've been partners for years."

"So he wouldn't have any cause for, say, setting the warehouse on fire?"

"No," Robert said, shaking his head and Alec pressed his lips together.

"Was there any disagreements between either of you and Devon Carson?"

"No."

"Did he ever take anyone tae the warehouse?"

"Not that I know of," Robert said and Alec sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"Well, thank you for coming," Alec said as he stood then turned the digital recorder off and they shook hands. Alec left the room as he closed the door behind him and placed his hands deep in his trouser pockets.

"Where did you go?" Ellie said as Alec walked to the desk and Peter and Ellie looked at him. Ellie noticed how angry he looked as Alec sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I asked Robert Connors tae come so I could ask who might have been able tae get into the warehouse. He said the only ones who had access were him, his partner and Devon Carson," Alec said then sighed and looked at the screen.

"What is Connors' partner's name?" Peter asked.

"Here," Alec said as he removed the notepad from his suit jacket pocket and handed him the notepad. Peter opened the notepad when he walked to his desk and sat down. He turned the computer on when he typed on the keyboard and Ellie looked at Alec.

"What should we do about Coates?" Ellie asked and Alec half lowered his eyes, thinking for a few minutes. She watched him turn on his heels then leave the room and she frowned folding her arms over her chest.

Paul sat on the pew while the police officer placed the monitor ankle bracelet around his right ankle then Paul looked at Alec and tilted his head to one side. He was shocked when Alec came into the holding cell and told him he was allowed to leave, but he had to wear a monitor ankle bracelet.

"Let me get this straight. I'm allowed to go anywhere on the property?" Paul asked and Alec nodded his head. "And, if I leave, I'll end up back in lockup?"

"Aye," Alec said as the police officer stood up and Alec nodded his head for him to leave. They watched him leave when Alec sat next to Paul and looked up at the ceiling.

"Are you…are you alright?" Paul asked, giving him a concerned look.

"If you call tried, frustrated and bloody confused alright," Alec sighed as he lowered his head and looked straight ahead.

"Is it just the case or are you worried about something else?" Paul asked and Alec frowned, glaring at him.

"Why are you asking?"

"Well, it's…Um…I have seen….," Paul said then sighed and turned to face Alec. "Are you and Ellie dating?"

"What?" Alec asked with wide eyes.

"Are you and Ellie Benson dating?"

"Are we…dating?" Alec asked and Paul nodded his head. "I can barely stand her."

"And she can barely stand you, but I have seen you with her and the boys. You seem…You look…You look like a couple."

"Look," Alec said as he pointed his finger at him and his heart slammed hard in his chest. "I do admit she has asked me tae come see Tom play football or join her at one of Fred's school plays, but that does nae mean there is anything between us!"

"Are you sure?" Paul asked when Alec stood up, turned on his heels and walked down the aisle. Paul watched him leave as Alec slammed the door behind him and Paul softly smiled.

The bedroom was dark while Alec placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. He had replayed his conversation with Coates for the last few hours as he tried to answer Coates' question, but none came and he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"_Are you and Ellie dating?"_

No, they were not dating.

The idea of dating her was totally bonkers.

For one thing, he was older than she was.

"So?" he softly asked himself.

He didn't want another relationship.

He was happy being alone.

"Then why havenae you told Alexandra tae go back tae uni?" he asked with a frown.

He didn't need anyone.

"Aye, you do," he said and pressed his lips together.

She was his assistant and co-worker.

"Aye, so was Jackie, but you married her anyway."

And Jackie ended up tearing his heart into shreds.

"That was mostly your fault," Alec said, arching up his eyebrows.

She was annoying.

"You annoy her, too, Mate," he said with a small smile.

She keeps questioning his decisions like he was some rookie.

"Well, nae all the time. Most of the time she just wants me tae think first then act," he said with a small nod of his head.

She….

"She is a loyal friend, I trust her and I…I…I…Oh, fuck, I like her," he sighed then rubbed his face with his hands and looked at the ceiling.

Ellie was reading when the bedroom door opened and Fred walked toward the bed. He was wearing Tree Fu Tom pajamas as he crawled onto the bed and sat next to her. Smiling, Ellie placed her Kindle Fire on the nightstand and Fred snuggled next to her.

"What are you doing awake? I put you to bed hours ago," she said as she placed her arm around him and he placed his head on her chest.

"Why doesn't Daddy live here anymore?" he asked with a serious look on his face and Ellie sighed. She knew the day would come when he would ask about Joe and she tried to figure out a way to explain why he wasn't here. "Are you divorced?"

"Yes, we are," Ellie said and kissed the top of his head. After Joe had been found guilty of killing Danny Latimer, her solicitor had suggested she divorce Joe and get fully custody of the boys.

"Was it because of me?" he asked with concern in his eyes and her heart shuttered in her chest.

"No, Love, it wasn't because of you or Tom," she said and held him tighter.

"Then why does Daddy live next door?" he asked with a confused look on his face and she gave him a puzzled look. Joe was in prison not living next door. Who was he….?

"Are you talking about Alec?" she asked and Fred nodded his head.

"See, my friend, Ginny, her daddy and mommy are divorced and he lives two houses down from her. She said her mommy and daddy thought it was a good idea so she could see him whenever she wanted. Is that why Daddy is over there and not over here?"

"Love, Alec isn't your daddy," she said and he frowned, looking up at her.

"Yes, he is."

A sudden bolt of reality hit her. Fred had totally forgotten Joe. It wasn't unusual. Fred was barely over a year when Joe got arrested and she was told by the family councilor that it might happen. She had a grandfather who died when she was four and she barely remembered him. Ellie looked over at the nightstand when she carefully reached over and opened the drawer. She took out a picture frame when she looked at the photograph of her, Joe and the boys and sighed.

"Fred, this is daddy," she said as she showed him the photograph and Fred pressed his lips together with an angry look on his face.

"No, it isn't," Fred said, gently pushing the photograph and got off the bed, walking to the doorway.

"Then who is it?" Ellie asked, looking at the photograph.

"Tommy showed me a picture with him in it and said he's the bastard who killed Danny," Fred said then left the room and headed down the hallway. Stunned, Ellie looked at the photograph while tears threatened to fall and she placed the picture frame back in the drawer, slamming the drawer shut.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

If there was one thing Steve Connelly hated, it was being able to see ghosts. It wasn't something that just happened one day. He had been able to see ghosts since he was a child. At first his parents thought he was either seeing things or insane and he had been to numerous mental health councilors over the years. When Danny Latimer was murdered, he wasn't sure if he should tell anyone the things Danny had told him, but he knew he had to do his duty. The problem was DI Hardy didn't believe him. He even threatened to put Steve in prison if he didn't go away. The only recourse he had was to talk to Beth Latimer, Danny's mother. It took some time, but she finally believed him. Now it was starting all over again. The ghosts were back. He had seen the news reports on television, but seeing Ginger Lange in his bathroom when he was in the shower was enough to nearly cause him to have a heart attack.

"_Please help me,"_ she said then told him that he needed to go see the police. She had a message for them about her death. He didn't want anything to do with her, but she kept coming and begged him.

Sighing, Steve walked up the stairs when he opened the door and walked to the security guard.

"Um, hi, is DI Alec Hardy in? I need to talk to him," he said and placed his hands on his jeans pockets.

Alec sat at his desk while he looked over the reports from the fires, but he couldn't concentrate. His mind kept drifting back to the conversation he had with Paul as he sat back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. A knock on the door made him look up when the door opened and Ellie walked in, closing the door behind her.

"We need to talk," she said while walking to the desk and placed her hands on top of the desk.

"Does it have anything pertaining with the case?" he asked with a blank look on his face.

"No, this has to do with us," she said and his eyes widened.

"Us?" he asked, scrunching his face.

"Look, I know you and I have formed some sort of friendship since Danny's murder, but it has to stop. That means no more coming over to my house and taking over when Fred doesn't want to go to bed, no more coming to Tom's footballs matches and no more pretending to be their father," she said and he gave her a confused look.

"I never pretended I was their father."

"Fred thinks you're his daddy."

"I know," Alec sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Have you talked things over with him?"

"Yes, he came into my bedroom last night and asked me why you and I don't live in the same house anymore. He thinks we're divorced."

"Fuck," he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I told him that you weren't his daddy, but he didn't believe me. So I showed him a picture of us as a family and pointed to Joe. I told him that Joe was his daddy and he…."

"What did he say?"

"He said Joe was the bastard who killed Danny," Ellie said and Alec' eyes widened.

"I never said that word around him."

"Neither have I. It was Tom," she said and Alec puffed out a breath of air.

"Fuck."

"Our family councilor said that Fred might forget Joe."

"He was just over a year old when Joe went tae prison so I can see him forgetting his dad."

"That's why I think it would be better if you stay out of our lives until he understands who Joe is and what happened."

"That's going to be a bit of a problem."

"Why?" she asked while standing up and crossed her arms over her chest. Before her could answer, the phone rang as he held up a finger then picked up the receiver and leaned back in the chair.

"DI Hardy, how may I help you?" he asked.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir, but there is a Steve Connelly here. He says he might have information about the case you're working on," the security guard said and Alec growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why now?" he sighed then looked at Ellie and frowned. "Tell him I'll be right there."

Ellie watched as Alec ended the call then stood up and headed for the coatrack. He placed his suit jacket on then headed for the door, turned and looked at her.

"I'll be right back," he said then left the inner office and Ellie frowned, leaned on the edge of the desk and folded her arms over her chest.

The doors to the lift opened as Alec walked out and looked at Steven Connelly. He never believed people who said they were psychic, but he did admit that Steve was helpful in the Latimer case. Steve gave him a scared look as he walked closer and Alec pointed to the door. Thinking that Alec wanted him to leave, Steve sighed then headed for the door and left. He was slightly surprised that Alec was behind him as he kept walking until they were at the bottom of the stairs then Alec stopped, looking at him.

"What do you want?" Alec asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and Steve sighed, looking at his feet.

"I have some information about those fires on the beach and the one at the warehouse," Steve said and Alec gave him a blank look.

"And who gave you this information?"

"That's the part you're not going to believe."

"If you tell me a ghost told you then you're right. I won't believe you."

"Then I'll go," Steve said as he went to go when Alec gently placed a hand on Steve's shoulder and Steve turned to look at him.

"Was it a ghost?"

"Well, yeah, it was," Steve sighed and places his hands in his jeans pockets. "Like I told you before, I don't know when these things happen, but they do happen and I normally don't have any control over what I'm told. All I know is Ginger Lange came to me and begged me to come see you."

"I'm going tae guess and say she wasnae alive when she came tae see you."

"No, she wasn't. I tried to ignore her, but she kept showing up," Steve sighed and looked a little embarrassed. "The first time she showed up I was in the shower."

"I see," Alec said. "What did she say?"

"At first, she wanted help. Then she went on about how you saved her children by putting them into foster care. Then…"

"Get on with it," Alec said, getting annoyed.

"Right, the last thing she said was "Look to the shepherd"."

"Do you have any idea what that means?"

"No," Steve said, shaking his head.

"Was there anything else?"

"Well…."

"What?"

"This doesn't have to do with Ginger Lange or the case as much as it does with you," Steve said. Alec remember him saying something about seeing one of the girls from the Sandbrook case and that she forgave him as he sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"I dinnae want tae hear it," Alec said as he turned and headed for the stairs.

"She says that it wasn't your fault and you need to reclaim the water," Steve said as Alec went up the stairs, opened the door then stormed inside and headed for the doors to the lift. Steve wasn't sure if he had heard him as he sighed then lowered his head and headed down the pavement.

Ellie and Peter watched as Alec walked back in the squad room then headed for the inner office when he closed the door and sat down hard on the chair. Peter got up when he walked to the door then knocked and opened the door.

"You ok?" he asked, walking into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Aye," Alec said as he sat forward and placed his head in his hands.

"Ellie said you got a call. Did it have something tae do with the case?" Peter said while walking to the desk and sat on the edge of the desk.

"There is this guy, his name is Steve Connelly, and he's…He…Blimey, I cannae make myself say it," Alec said then sat back in the chair and sighed.

"What is he?" Peter asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"He's…He sees ghost," Alec said and Peter's eyes widened.

"He sees ghosts?"

"Aye," Alec sighed and looked at the ceiling. "When Danny Latimer was murdered, Connelly came tae my office with some information. When I asked him where he got the information, he told me Danny's ghost told him. I wasnae in the mood for his crap and told him tae fuck off. He kept showing up and I threatened tae arrest him if he didnae stop. He stopped bugging me, but went and talked with Danny's mother. For some reason she believed his buillshit. "

"What did he want this time?"

"He came tae tell me Ginger Lange shown up and wanted his help."

"Was she alive when he saw her?" Peter asked, arching his eyebrows up.

"No," Alec said, elongating the "o" and Peter rolled his eyes. "According tae what Ginger told him, we are supposed tae look tae the shepherd."

"And you think he means Coates. I know shepherd is something people call a preacher or a reverend," Peter said and Alec nodded his head. Looking down at the reports on the desk, Alec scanned them when his eyes widened and he looked at Peter. "What?"

"Come on," Alec said as he got up, walked to the door and left the inner office. Peter followed him as Alec walked to the dry board and looked at the copies of the reports that were held onto the dry board by magnets. "Right, I need everyone's attention."

He watched the others look at him while Ellie got up and stood next to Peter.

"I have received some information pertaining tae the fires on the beach and at the warehouse," Alec said and looked at the reports. "It turns out we were looking in the wrong direction. I need all information on the Holy Shepherd Center on my desk by the time I come back."

They watched as Alec headed for the door then left as Peter looked at Ellie and she sighed, turning her computer on.

"Where did he go?" Peter asked, sitting down.

"He went to see Coates," Ellie said then looked at the screen and typed on the keyboard.

Paul walked by the headstones when he saw someone walking toward him then sighed as Alec came to a stop and Paul crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm still on the property," Paul said with annoyed look on his face.

"That's nae why I'm here," Alec said then looked down at the headstone and titled his head to one side.

"Why are you here?" 

"It turns out I've made a mistake," Alec said, looking at him. "We've gotten new information pertaining tae the fires on the beach and the fire in the warehouse."

"And this information takes me off the suspect list?" Paul asked and Alec nodded his head. "Then I can take this bloody thing off?"

"No, I think you should keep it on for now."

"So whoever's doing this will think you still think it's me?" he asked and Alec nodded his head. "What if you don't find out who's doing this?"

"We'll find them," Alec said, looking at the headstone.

"I really hope so. This thing's starting to itch," Paul said then noticed the look on his face. "Is there something else you want to talk about?"

Alec kept looking at the headstone then sighed and placed his hands in his trousers' pockets. Finally, he looked up when he clenched his jaw and sighed.

"You were right," Alec sighed and Paul frowned.

"I was right about what?"

"You asked if I was dating Benson…uh…Ellie. We're nae dating, but I do care when it comes tae what happens tae her or her sons. The thing I dinnae understand is when and how it happened," Alec said then sighed and half closed his eyes.

"Does she…does she care about you?" Paul asked and Alec shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess she does. She let me live with her and her sons after my surgery."

"Why did she do that?"

"I didnae have anywhere else tae stay."

"And she took care of you?" he asked and Alec nodded his head.

"I do admit that I liked it until it became annoying. All that eggshell walking and worried looks," Alec said and rubbed his face with his hands. "Now she wants me being in their lives tae stop."

"Why?" Paul asked with concern in his eyes.

"Fred is getting confused. He thinks I'm his father."

"He doesn't remember Joe?" Paul asked and Alec shook his head.

"Benson…Ellie thinks it would be best if I back away so she can help him remember Joe and cope with what he did."

"You don't want to?"

"Of course I do!" Alec growled then sighed and looked at the sky. "At least a part of me does."

"The other part doesn't?"

"Aye," Alec said then turned and walked off as Paul watched him move by the headstones when Paul looked down at the headstone Alec was looking at and his eyes widened.

"What?" Paul asked then looked up to see Alec head toward the church and Paul sighed, gently patting the top of the headstone.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The Holy Shepherd Center was located a block from the church and was housed in a white stone building. The building was three stores and a small car park was to the left of the building. A chain fence surrounded a small play area which had two swing sets, a slide, a covered sand area and a plastic playhouse. The black car pulled up to the curb when the doors opened and Ellie, Alec and Peter got out of the car. It didn't take long for them to get a warrant and Peter opened the door so they could go inside. Ellie noticed the white walls, hardwood floors and neatly furnished rooms as they headed for the main office and she felt sad from seeing several children watching them from the playroom.

"You ok?" Peter asked and she nodded her head.

"I was just thinking how close I came to living here," Ellie sighed.

"You mean after…," Peter said and she nodded her head.

"It took nearly penny I had to make sure I didn't lose my house or my sons," she said as Alec stopped at the office door and knocked. He opened the door as they walked inside the outer office and saw a young woman with long red hair sitting at the desk. She had a round face, a small nose and full lips and her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. She was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, jeans and sneakers and she looked at them with a puzzled look on her face.

"May I help you?" she asked and Alec saw the nameplate with Susan Kane on the desk.

"I'm DI Alec Hardy and this is DI Ellie Benson and DI Peter Carlisle," he said as they showed Susan their identification and she pressed her lips together. "Is Jason Peters in?"

"Yes," Susan said when she picked up the receiver and pushed the buttons. "Yes, Mister Peters, there are some police officers out here."

A sound of a chair being pushed back was heard from behind the door when the door opened and a tall man with jet black hair and gray eyes appeared in the doorway. He had a long face with thin lips and a straight nose and he was wearing a black suit, a white shirt, a black tie and black shoes and socks and Alec noticed the man hadn't shaved and the shirt was sticking out of the top of his trousers.

"Ah, yes, I am Jason Peters," Jason said as he walked closer and held his hand out. "What can I do for you?"

"We would like to talk to you about the victims of the fires on the beach and the warehouse. They lived here, didn't they?" Ellie asked as she gave him a blank look and Jason looked from her to Alec to Peter then back.

"Yes, they did live here," Jason said then sadness appeared on his face. "I was saddened to hear of their deaths."

"How long did you know Lenny Walker, Jake Taylor, Ginger Lange and Devon Carson?" Peter asked.

"I've known them for years."

"Did any of them cause trouble?" Alec asked. Ellie barely smiled at the confusion on Jason's face as he looked from Peter to Alec then back again.

"No," Jason said with a shake of his head.

"What about Lenny Walker's dog, Lucky?" Ellie asked.

"He wasn't any trouble. In fact, Lucky used to hide in here when the kids got a little too much for him," Jason said with a smile then sighed.

"Did Ginger Lange ever say why she was here?" Peter asked.

"All she said was she was hiding. I think she was on the run from an abusive husband. We see a lot of those."

"May we see their files?" Alec asked as he handed Jason the warrant and Jason looked back toward the officer. "Or…are we interrupting something?"

"No, come in," Jason said as he stood back and they walked in the office. Three larger windows were to the right of the room and showed the play area and the desk was at the back of the room. File cabinets stood against the left wall and a large seascape painting hung on the wall behind the desk. Standing next to the desk was a young woman with a heart shaped face, a small nose and full lips and she was pulling her long brown hair into a ponytail. Alec noticed her clothes were wrinkled as she straightened her shirt then ran by him and Alec glared at Jason. The young woman looked nor more than eight teen years of age and he saw the tears in her eyes as she ran by. He made a mental note to investigate Jason as he watched Jason walked to the file cabinets and opened one of the drawers. One by one, he removed the files then turned and handed the files to Ellie. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No," Alec said then nodded his head toward the door and they left the office. Alec looked at Susan then sighed as they left the outer office and Ellie saw the anger in his eyes. He looked straight ahead, but his jaw flexed from him grinding his teeth and Ellie sighed, adjusting the hold on the files.

Alec looked at the files when a knock on the door made him look up and Ellie opened the door. She closed the door behind her as she walked toward the desk and noticed the tired look in his eyes.

:"I have that report you wanted," she said as she placed the report on the desk and Alec slid the report toward him. He looked at the report when his eyebrows scrunched together and he chewed on his lower lip.

"I was right," Alec said while handing the report to her and sat back in the chair.

"What am I looking for?" Ellie said, scanning the report.

"Jason Peters is a sexual predator. There have been several reports filed against him over the last five years yet none of the cases went tae trial because the claims mysteriously vanished."

"So that young woman we saw….?"

"Aye, she was the most recent victim in a long line of women he's abused over the years."

"I'll have someone bring him in," Ellie said as she walked to the door when he snapped his fingers and she turned around to look at him.

"He would have gotten rid of any evidence the moment we left his office," he said and Ellie sighed, lowering his head.

"What about that girl? We could question her."

"Do you know her name?" he asked and she sighed, shaking her head. "See, that's the problem with someone like him. Unless you get someone tae come out and accuse him, he'll keep getting away with it. I did see that he only picked on women who are either young runaways or….single mothers," Alec said when he thought of something and blinked his eyes a few times.

"Like Ginger Lange," Ellie said with a smile.

"Send someone around and bring him in. Have them bring in his receptionist as well," Alec said as she smiled, leaving the room. Rubbing his face with his hands, Alec sighed then looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

The interrogation room was quiet as Jason Peters and Susan Kane sat at the table and she looked at Jason with a confused look on her face.

"Why are we here?" she asked and Jason gave her a confident smile.

"Don't worry. I've been through this before," Jason said when the door opened and Peter and Ellie walked in the room. Ellie sat down when Peter turned the video camera and digital recorder on and Jason looked at them with a blank expression on his face.

"This is DI Peter Carlisle and DI Ellie Benson," he said then sat down and looked at them. "Thank you for coming.

"Why are we here?" Jason asked. "You already questioned me and I freely gave you the information you requested."

"Yes, but we have new information," Peter said and sat back in the chair. "What was your relationship with Ginger Lange?"

"I beg your pardon?" Jason asked, looking puzzled.

"I asked…"

"I heard you. Are you implying that I did something to her?" Jason asked and Ellie noticed the corner of his left eye was twitching.

"Did you?" Ellie asked. "We did some checking and it turns out that there have been numerous reports accusing you of sexual misconduct over the last few years."

"They never went to trial," Jason half shouted then coughed and lowered his head.

"So you have been a naughty boy, aye?" Peter asked then took out a heart shaped lollipop and removed the plastic wrapper. He placed the heart shaped lollipop in his mouth and waited for Jason to answer.

"What does this have to do with the fires on the beach and the fire at the warehouse?" Jason asked.

"We're just making sure we're nae over-looking anything," Peter said after he took the heart shaped lollipop out of his mouth.

"Did you have relations with Ginger Lange?" Ellie asked with anger in her eyes.

"No," Jason shouted.

"Yes," Susan said as Jason glared at her and she sank down in the chair.

"Which is it?" Peter asked, looking from Jason to Susan then back and Jason sighed, balling his hands into fists.

"I'm not saying another word until I get a solicitor," Jason growled and Peter turned the digital recorder off.

Alec stood near the two way window as he looked at Jason glaring at Susan and the officer standing near the door. The door opened as Ellie and Peter walked closer as Alec turned and looked at them.

"Guess you were right about him," Ellie said, standing next to him.

"When will his solicitor get here?" Alec asked.

"He won't get here until morning."

"Then I guess we better call it a night," Alec said then turned and left the room while Ellie watched him leave and sighed.

"_Wake up, Sleepyhead," Campbell said as he shook Peter awake and he opened his eyes, glaring at him._

"_Have my brothers come back yet?" Peter asked while yawning and got out of bed._

"_No," Alec said while pulling his sweatshirt over his head and tucked the sweatshirt into his jeans._

"_Never mind them. Let's go," Campbell said as he elongated the "o" and Peter sighed, rolling his eyes. After Peter showered and brushed his teeth, they ate a quick breakfast Peter's mother had made them when Campbell opened the door then half ran ahead of them, turned around and waved for them to follow him._

"_Guess someone's having a good day," Peter said while looking at Campbell._

"_Aye," Alec said. They both knew the Campbell had good days and bad days as they walked after him when Alec stopped, hearing his parents shouting. "Dinnae they ever stop?"_

"_Come on!" Campbell shouted as they half ran to catch up with him and headed down the beach. Peter's father, Liam, and Campbell's father stood near the rental boat that was tied to the small dock while they talked with the rental owner and fishing gear and a basket of food and drink sat near their feet. Campbell streaked to a halt near his father as his father smiled down at him and ruffled his hair._

"_Are your cousins coming?" his father asked, watching Peter and Alec coming closer._

"_Aye, but Derek, George, Seamus and Ian arenae back yet," Campbell said and Liam glared toward the caravans._

"_I told them tae come home at midnight," Liam growled then sighed and looked down at Campbell. "Well, more fish for us then."_

"_Aye," Campbell said with a wide nod of his head and Peter and Alec appeared next to him._

"_Right, let's get the life vests on," Campbell's father said as he handed out the life vests and helped Campbell put on the life vest. A few minutes later the rental boat moved over the water then stopped a short distance from shore and Liam helped Peter and Alec place bait on the hooks. There were other boats out on the water as the clouds moved over the sun and a soft breeze moved through their hair._

"_Whoa!" Campbell said while his father helped him bring in the fish that he had hooked as Peter scrambled for the net and a good size sea bass came out of the water. They brought the sea bass onboard as Campbell smiled and held up the sea bass by the fishing line. "See, Da, I told you using my peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich would work!"_

"_Aye," his father said as he placed the sea bass in the ice chest with some of the other fish and closed the lid._

"_Want tae try?" Campbell said as he reached into the food basket then took out two more peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches and handed them to Alec and Peter. Suddenly a loud whirring sound of a boat engine filled the air as Peter looked out at the water and something was speeding toward them. Before Liam could get the motor started, a large boat slammed into their boat and a loud crashing sound and screaming filled the air._

Peter's shouting woke her as Natalie turned the light on and saw Peter sitting up on the bed. He was sweating and shaking with his knees pulled up and his forehead rested on top. She reached over to touch his back when he snapped his head to look at her and tears were running down his cheeks. Reaching out, Natalie wrapped her arms around him after he nearly collapsed into her and she hushed him as his hot tears rolled down her neck.

"Alec," Peter whispered as she hushed him and he held onto her a little tighter. She kissed the top of his head as she gently rocked him and started wondering what Alec had to do with why he was so afraid.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

_Whatever had hit him had stunned him as Alec started sinking and bubbles poured out of his mouth. The darkness swirled around him while his lungs burned and his heart slammed in his ears. He could just see the light shimmering on the surface of the water, but it was fading and darkness crept into the corners on his eyes. He closed his eyes while resigning his fate and wondered if his parents would stop fighting once they found out he was dead. The darkness felt nice as he sank further into it and his heartbeat started to fade._

Gasping, Alec opened his eyes as his heart slammed in his chest and a low beeping sound filled his ears. He winced as the pacemaker fired then he slowly sat up and looked at the clock. He saw it was five thirty in the morning as he leaned against the wall and breathed through his nose to calm his heart down. The beeping sounded again when he picked up the smart phone and looked at the screen. He wondered why Natalie was calling him when he pushed the button and held the smart phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Alec, I'm sorry to wake you, but I need you to come to the inn. There's something wrong with Peter," Natalie said as he frowned then looked at the smart phone before placing the smart phone to his ear.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked. Peter had told him that Natalie and their son had come to stay with him and he heard Natalie sighing.

"I don't know. Please, just come to the inn," Natalie said then ended the call and Alec frowned, blinking his eyes a few times.

Natalie opened the door when she looked at Alec and Alexandra then noticed the bottom of his pajamas sticking out from under his jeans and he was wearing his pajamas top as a shirt. Shrugging, Alec walked by her while Alexandra followed him in the room and Natalie closed the door.

"How is he?" Alec asked then looked at the bed and Peter was sitting against the wall. Little Peter was sleeping snuggled next to him while Peter sipped on some wine and Alec noticed his hand was slightly shaking. Natalie had called down to the lobby and Becca had sent up a glass of wine after Natalie told her what was going on.

"I've been better," Peter said as Alec sat on the edge of the bed and Alexandra stood behind him. "Is that Alexandra?"

"Aye, it is," Alec said,

"Hello," Alexandra said as she waved at him and Peter nodded his head.

"So, what's going on?" Alec asked while sitting on the edge of the bed as Peter sighed and took a drink of wine.

"I had a nightmare," Peter softly said and Alec frowned, looking at Natalie.

"He was terrified. I've never seen him so scared," she said as she walked to the bed and sat next to Little Peter.

"What was it about?" Alexandra asked as she stood behind Alec and placed her hands on his shoulders. Peter thought for a few seconds when he puffed out a breath of air and rubbed his face with his hand.

"It was…It…Do you remember what happened the last time we were here?" Peter asked and Alec thought for a few minutes then frowned.

"Aye, I remember," Alec said.

"What happened?" Natalie asked, looking from Alec to Peter then back.

"We nearly died," Alec said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" Alexandra and Natalie said at the same time and Peter sighed, looking at the ceiling.

"When Alec was eleven and I was fifteen, our families went on holiday. My dad said it was time for us tae go down water, so…"

"What does that mean?" Alexandra asked.

"It means we were going tae the beach," Alec said then sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"My dad had rented four caravans. One for him and my mother, one for Alec's parents, one for Campbell's parents…"

"Campbell was with you?" Natalie asked.

"He was seven at the time," Alec said then looked at Alexandra. He knew she had never met Campbell as she gave him a confused look and he tilted his head to one side. "Ever hear of the Loony Tunes Show?"

"Yeah," Alexandra said.

"Campbell Bain is your cousin," he said and her eyes widened.

"Shit."

"The last caravan was for me, Alec, Campbell and my brothers," Peter said and Natalie frowned.

"I didn't know you had brothers," she said and Peter sighed, leaning the back of his head against the wall.

"There's a reason why," he said then looked at Alec. "It wasn't a bad holiday until the day my dad took us fishing. My older brothers…They didnae come with us. While we were out on the water, another boat crashed into our boat. My dad, my uncle and I were cut up and bruised, but Campbell broke his wrist and Alec…"

"I had been hit in the head by a piece of wood and sank into the water like a bloody stone," Alec said.

"Who rescued you?" Alexandra asked.

"My dad," Peter said and saw the look in Alec' eyes. He wasn't with them anymore. He was somewhere else.

"_Come on, Alec, wake up!" Campbell's voice echoed into his head as a low beeping sound filled his ears and his head pounded. He then wondered why he was feeling pain if he was dead and what was Campbell doing there? Were they both dead? Was Peter dead as well?_

"_Ca-campbell?" he barely whispered when his eyes fluttered open and the light made his eyes hurt. "Fuck."_

"_He's awake!" Campbell shouted as Alec felt the bed move and opened his eyes some more. His vision was blurry then he blinked his eyes a few times and sighed. "Peter! Alec's awake!"_

"_I can see that," Peter said as Alec slowly turned his head to the right to see Peter sitting on a bed. He had some plasters on his arms, legs and one covering his left eyebrow and Campbell had a cast covering his left wrist and hand. Alec looked up to see the clear plastic bag hanging on the metal pole when he lifted his left hand and saw the needle taped to the back of his hand._

"_I'll go get the nurse!" Campbell said then ran to the door, opened the door and ran into the hallway, screaming that Alec was awake as he ran down the hallway. Alec half smiled then lifted his hand to his head when he felt the plaster taped nearly the length of his skull and noticed that someone had shaved his hair off._

"_What?" he asked as Peter got off the bed and walked to the bed Alec was lying on._

"_They had tae cut your hair off," Peter said and Alec looked at the ceiling._

"_What day is it?" Alec asked._

"_It's Saturday. You've spent three days up in the ICU then they brought you down here."_

"_Why are you and Campbell still here?"_

"_The police told my dad that we have tae stay here until they're done with their investigation."_

"_Even them?"_

"_Aye," Peter said when the door opened and Campbell nearly dragged the nurse into the room._

"_See?! I told you he was awake!" he said, nearly bouncing on his feet and Alec and Peter softly smiled at each other._

"I had a large gash on the side of my head and a concussion. I spent a few days in the ICU then was moved down tae the Children's Ward," Alec said softly.

"Did they find out who crashed into you?" Natalie asked and Peter frowned as a sad look crossed his face.

"It was my brothers," he sighed and Alexandra and Natalie gave him a stunned look.

"What?" they asked at the same time and Peter looked at the ceiling.

"Like I said, I have four brothers, Derek, George, Seamus and Ian. Derek had borrowed my dad's car tae go tae one of the other towns. They had met these girls and the father of one of the girls had a boat. She "borrowed" the boat and they went joyriding. The police report stated if they had been going any faster they would have killed us," Peter said and Alec sighed, half closing his eyes.

"What happened to your brothers?" Natalie asked.

"They were arrested. Derek is still in prison."

'Why?"

"He was…He got life imprisonment."

"What?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Can we skip that part?" Alec asked as Peter looked at him then nodded his head.

"How did your parents react when they found out?" Alexandra asked, looking at Alec.

"My dad punched Derek in the face and broke his jaw," Alec said softly and sighed.

"Your dad threatened tae sue mine for child endangerment," Peter said and Alec nodded his head.

"I wouldn't have blamed him." Natalie said.

"The funny bit was Campbell saying it was fun and wanted tae do it again," Peter said with a grin and rolled his eyes.

"You'd think the three of you would have been afraid of water after that."

"Aye, you would, but my dad took us fishing after we went home," Peter said then looked at Alec. "Well, he took Campbell and me."

"My father swore I would never see them again," Alec said and Alexandra slid her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

"That seems harsh," Natalie said and Alec nodded. Peter yawned then rubbed his face with his hands while Alec looked at him and Peter noticed the look in his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"You're nae coming in today."

"Why?"

"Love, you're exhausted," Natalie said as Peter sighed and slid down to snuggle next to their son.

"I'll be fine," Peter said and Alec folded his arms over his chest.

"Then I dinnae want tae see you until this afternoon," Alec said while Peter looked back at him and arched an eyebrow.

"What time?"

"Say around one thirty or two," Alec said and Peter nodded his head. They watched as he closed his eyes then Alec and Natalie got up and Natalie pulled the duvet up around Peter and their son. Hushing them, she led them to the door as Alexandra opened the door and Natalie watched them leave the room.

"Thank you," she whispered and Alec nodded his head. She watched them going down the hallway when she closed the door, walked to the bed, slid down next to Little Peter and closed her eyes.

Alec looked up as someone knocked on the doorframe and Ellie stood in the doorway, looking at him.

"Did you need something?" he asked as she walked to the desk then sat down.

"Have you seen Peter?" she asked.

"He's going tae be a little late."

"Why?" she asked and he sighed, removed the wire rimmed glasses and sat back in the chair.

"He didnae sleep well last night."

"How do you know?"

"Natalie called and asked me tae come tae the inn. He had a nightmare and had scared himself shitless," Alec said and her eyes widened.

"What is Natalie doing here?"

"She missed Peter so she took some time off and came here with their son."

"So that's where Alexandra took you this morning."

"Eh?" he asked, scrunching his face up.

"I was woken up by the sound of a car starting. By the time I got to the window, I saw Alexandra's car leaving. I also saw the lights on in your house. I called, but only got the answering machine. At first…"

"Right," Alec said with a sigh in his voice and rolled his eyes.

"What was the nightmare about?" she asked as he rubbed his face with his hands and rolled his eyes.

"You're nae going tae stop asking questions, are you?"

"I'm just curious."

"Fine, the short version….When we were kids, Peter, Campbell and I…"

"Campbell?" she asked with a shocked look on her face.

"This isn't going tae be short if you keep interrupting me," he said, slightly bugging his eyes out. "Aye, Campbell was there. Our parents brought us here for a family holiday and we near were killed in a boating accident. Campbell broke his wrist, Peter and my uncles were slightly injured and I ended up spending a few days in the ICU from a cracked skull and a concussion."

"So that's why you don't like being on the water in a boat," she said and he nodded his head.

"It's also why I hate hospitals," he said softly and she slightly smiled. "I told him he could come in later this afternoon."

"Fine," Ellie said as she got up then turned to leave when Bob appeared in the doorway and looked at Alec.

"Sorry, Sir, but SOCO just called," he said while Ellie looked at Alec and Alec sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Another warehouse was burned and they found some bodies."

"Let's go," Alec said as he got up then walked to the coat rack and removed his suit jacket. After placing the suit jacket and his coat on, Alec led the way as Ellie walked next to him they left the squad room.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The yellow police tape fluttered in the breeze while the smoke from the windows of the warehouse rose skyward and the police officers made sure the crowds gathered behind the yellow police tape didn't bother the fire crew or the SOCO. The black car stopped at the curb as Ellie and Alec got out of the car and headed for the yellow police tape. After showing the officer their identification, they walked under the yellow police tape and Alec looked up, watching the smoke rising out of one of the windows.

"Shit, what a mess," Ellie said as they walked to Brian while he talked with one of his crew then saw them and sighed.

"Morning," he said and looked at the white tarps covering the three bodies lying on the ground.

"Any idea when the fire started?" Ellie asked.

"The 999 call came in around six this morning. They just got it out," Brian said as he pointed to the fire crew and Ellie nodded, walking toward them.

"Find any bullet cases?" Alec asked, looking at the burnt remains of the warehouse.

"We just started looking. If we find anything, I'll send a report," Brian said and Alec nodded his head. He walked toward the burnt remains of the warehouse when he heard someone shouting and looked at the crowd. A tall man with brown hair was shouting at the officer and Alec noticed the angry look on his face. The man was wearing a dark blue suit, a white shirt, a dark blue tie and black shoes and dark blue socks. Placing his hands in his trouser pockets, Alec walked closer then stood near the police officer and looked at the man.

"Is there a problem?" he asked and the man glared at him.

"Who are you?" the man demanded.

"I'm DI Hardy," Alec said and showed the man his identification. "Are you the owner of this warehouse?"

"Yes," the man said then saw the white tarps and his eyes went wide. "What the hell?"

"So, Mister….?" Alec asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I'm Kevin Parrish," Kevin said and Alec nodded his head.

"When did you close last night?"

"We close around seven."

"And where were you at around six this morning?"

"I was in bed with my wife."

"Do you know why those three would have been in the warehouse?" Alec asked as he looked at the white tarps.

"They work the nightshift as night guards."

"What were their names?" Alec asked as he removed a notepad and a pen from his suit jacket pocket.

"Their names are Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan," Kevin said and Alec nodded his head as he wrote on the notepad then placed the notepad and pen back in his suit jacket pocket.

"Were they homeless?" Alec asked and Kevin's eyes widened a bit.

"Yes, they were."

"Were they recommended for work by Reverend Coats?"

"Yes."

"Did they live at the Holy Shepherd Center?"

"Yes," Kevin said with a nod of his head and Alec puffed out a breath of air.

"Thank you," he said then walked to Ellie and she saw the look on his face.

"What?" she asked and he gently took her arm and led her away from the others.

"They were homeless," Alec said with a nod of his head toward the white tarps and sighed. "Coates recommended them and they lived at the Holy Shepherd Center."

"Which means one of us has to go talk to Paul and the other has to go talk to Jason Peters," Ellie said and Alec nodded his head.

"You go talk tae Peters," Alec said then walked away and Ellie frowned as she wondered why he wanted to talk to Coates.

Paul looked at his sermon for what felt like the hundredth time when someone knocked on the door and he looked up. Walking down the steps, he headed down the aisle then to the door when he opened the door and looked at Alec.

"Not again," he sighed and Alec gave him a blank look. "Come in."

Alec walked by him while Paul closed the door and watched him sit on one of the pews. Walking closer, Paul sat next to him when Alec sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"There's been another fire," he said and Paul crossed his arms over his chest.

"Let me guess. They found a body."

"They found three," Alec said and Paul's eyes widened.

"Shit, do they know who they were?"

"They were Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan. The owner of the warehouse said you recommended them."

"Yeah, I did," Paul sighed, looking down.

"And they lived at the Holy Shepherd Center."

"Yeah," Paul said then stood up and looked toward his office. "I'll go get their files."

Alec watching him walking along the aisle and he noticed the sadness, anger and frustration in Paul's face. He felt the same when he got up and followed him. He leaned against the doorframe while Paul looked through the file drawers and Alec placed his hands in his pockets.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Alec finally asked as Paul closed the drawer and held the files in his hands.

"No," Paul said, shaking his head then walked to him and handed him the files. Alec looked at the files then turned and headed down the aisle and Paul watched him. "May I ask you something?"

"What?" Alec said as he held the door open and looked at him.

"When we were in the cemetery, we were standing in front of this headstone. I noticed the last name on it was Hardy. Any relation?" Paul asked and Alec sighed, holding tightly onto the door.

"Do you remember when I asked if it was alright tae be buried here if I died?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember where I asked tae be buried?"

"Yes, it was….It was next to that grave," Paul said and Alec sighed, nodding his head. "Who was…?"

"If you dinnae mind, I'd rather nae say," Alec said then closed behind him and Paul blinked his eyes a few times.

"Shit," Paul whispered then frowned, leaning his head against the doorframe.

"Well, look who finally showed up," Ellie teased as Peter sat down and stuck his tongue out at her. "Are you ok?"

"Aye, I had a nice lie in then a big lunch," Peter said as he looked at the report on the desk and put his wire rimmed glasses on.

"There was another warehouse fire."

"I see that," Peter said with a nod toward the report on his desk.

"I'm going to interrogation to talk with Jason Peters. His solicitor arrived five minutes ago. Want to come with me?" Ellie said and Peter smiled, removed a heart shaped, sugar free lollipop from his suit jacket pocket, took the plastic wrapper off and placed the heart shaped lollipop in his mouth.

Jason Peters sat at the table and a tall man with white hair and green eyes sat next to him. The door opened as Ellie and Peter walked in and Peter closed the door. He walked to the table when he turned the digital recorder on and sat down.

"This is DI Peter Carlisle and DI Ellie Benson," he said then looked at Jason and sighed. "Thank you for your co-operation in this investigation."

"Why are we doing this? My client didn't do anything," Jason's solicitor said.

"There was another warehouse fire. Three bodies were found and we found out they used to live at your shelter," Ellie said and Jason's eyes widened.

"Who were they?" Jason asked and his solicitor glared at him.

"They were Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan," she said and Jason sighed, wiping his face with his hands. "So you did know them?"

"You don't have to answer that," Jason's solicitor said.

"Yes, I knew them," Jason said.

"Do you have files on them?" Peter asked.

"My client doesn't have…" Jason's solicitor said and Jason held his hand up to stop him.

"Yes, I have files on them," Jason said

"Are you charging my client with anything?"

"Not at this time," Ellie said.

"Then we'll be going," Jason's solicitor said as he stood up and looked at Jason. Nodding his head, Jason got up while Peter turned the digital recorder off and the men left the room. Peter sat back in the chair as he puffed out a breath of air and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"That went well," he said as Ellie nodded and looked at the door.

The door opened while Alec walked down the hallway and looked straight ahead. He had his hands in his coat pocket as he walked to the door and removed his hand from his pocket. He heard something when he looked to his left and saw the young woman he had seen in Jason Peters' office. She was standing in a doorway, but ran in the room when he took a step toward her and he frowned.

"Fuck," he sighed then looked at the door and knocked. Opening the door, he looked at Susan Kane and she was startled to see him standing there.

"May I…Can I help you?" she asked as he walked closer and had closed the door behind him. She did notice the angry look on his face as he stood in front of the desk then leaned over and placed his hands on the desk. If he wasn't scaring the shit out of her, she could see herself falling for his chocolate brown eyes and shaggy hair, but the look in his eyes cut through her like lasers.

"Do you know Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall or Connor Sullivan?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, they…they live here," she said and he felt guilty about scaring her.

"Did they get along?"

"Yes, they were very tight. People around here called them "the Three Goof Balls". They were always joking around and being pests to some of the others."

"So they did get people pissed at them?"

"No, not really," she said then gave him a confused look. "Are they in trouble?"

It was times like this he knew that tact was needed, but he wanted a reaction as he sighed then stood up, placing his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"They're dead," he said and her eyes widened.

"No, that can't be true," she said and he saw tears in her eyes. He slid the tissue box toward her as she pulled out three tissues and wiped her eyes. "How…how did they die?"

"We're nae sure. Their bodies were found at the Star Shine warehouse."

"That's near the warehouse where Devon died," she said softly and Alec nodded his head.

"If I can get a warrant, will you let me see their rooms?" Alec asked and she nodded her head. "Can I also see the rooms of the other victims?"

"Yes," Susan said and Alec turned on heels and headed for the door. He opened the door when he turned to look at her and tilted his head to one side.

"Were you dating one of them?" he asked and she looked at him with a stunned look on her face.

"Jesse," she sighed as he nodded his head then left the room. He walked down the hallway then stopped at the room where he saw the young woman, but she wasn't in the room and he frowned. Shrugging, he placed his hands in his coat pockets and headed for the door.

The knock on the door made Alec look up when Peter opened the door and Alec wiggled two fingers for him to come in. Walking in the room, Peter closed the door and walked to the desk. He sat down on the chair in front of the desk while Alec watched him and leaned back in the chair.

"Is there something you want?" he asked and Peter slid the report he had in his hand toward him. Alec picked up the report then scanned the report while Peter took a heart shaped lollipop out of his jacket pocket and removed the plastic wrapper. "You know those things are bad for you, right?"

"Aye, I do know, but I've been sugar free for three years," Peter said, placing the heart shaped lollipop in his mouth and grinned. Alec softly laughed as he looked at the report then placed the report on the desk and placed his lower arms on the desk.

"Well, according tae this, they found melted metal that matched the bullet casing used in the other murders," he said and Peter nodded his head, taking the heart shaped lollipop out of his mouth.

"The question is why havenae they gone back tae the beach?" Peter asked, pointing the heart shaped lollipop at him and Alec frowned. "You look like that Grumpy Cat thing."

"Very funny," Alec said as he looked at the coffee mug sitting on his desk with the Grumpy Cat on the side and he turned the coffee mug around. Arching his eyebrows, Peter pressed his lips together then looked at Alec and Alec glared at him. "Has Benson gotten the CCTV camera footage yet?"

"No, they're nae sending the footage until tomorrow," Peter said then noticed the look in Alec' eyes. "You ok?"

"I wish people would stop asking me that," Alec said as he looked at the ceiling and placed his hands on his stomach.

"I just asked because you seem a little…Well, you seem distracted," Peter said and Alec looked at him. He knew Peter could read him as he sighed and locked his fingers together then twiddled his thumbs.

"I guess I am a little distracted," he said and emphasized "little".

"What's going on?" Peter asked and Alec half closed his eyes while lowering his head.

"I think…I…There is…Um…," he stuttered and Peter titled his head to one side. "There is this woman…"

"You have a girlfriend?" Peter asked, wide eyed.

"Yes…No…I…," Alec said then sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"Who is she?" Peter asked, scooting the chair closer to the desk.

"You are nae going tae believe me," Alec said and Peter looked out the window toward Ellie.

"Does Ellie know?" he asked, looking at Alec.

"No," Alec said with a shake of his head and Peter frowned. He looked from Alec to Ellie then back and his eyes widened.

"No," he asked as he elongated the "o" and Alec looked down. "Ellie's your girlfriend?"

"No!" Alec half shouted then coughed. "I just…Recently, I've…Oh, fuck, I like her."

"You like her?" Peter asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Aye, but it doesnae matter," he said then sighed.

"Why?"

"She told me I had tae stop coming around."

"Why?"

"It's because her son, Fred, is getting confused. He thinks I'm his daddy," he said and Peter gave him a confused look. "I'm nae his daddy."

"I know that. So you're just going tae step aside and nae tell her how you feel?" he asked and Alec nodded his head.

"It's for the best. I already had the office romance and we both know how that ended."

"Aye," Peter said as he stood up then walked to the door and placed his hand on the door handle. He turned to look at him when he softly smiled and titled his head to one side. "But I learned that something like this tends tae turn out ok in the end."

Alec watched him leave as Peter closed the door then he looked at Ellie and she smiled at him.

"Nae for me," he said softly then picked up the report and pressed his lips together.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Jason Peters was surprised when Alec, Peter, Ellie, Brian and several of the SOCO team arrived and Alec handed him the warrant.

"We need tae see the rooms belonging tae Lenny Walker, Jake Taylor, Ginger Lange, Devon Carson, Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan," Alec said as he glared at Jason and Jason sighed, allowing them to come in. He closed the door as Alec looked at him then Jason led them to the stairs and they followed him upstairs. They walked down the hallway as some people peeked out from their rooms and Jason stopped in front of a door.

"This is Lenny Walker's room. His daughter did come by after his death and took his stuff," Jason said as he used the skeleton key to open the door and the SOCO team went in the room. Peter, Ellie and Alec placed blue plastic booties on their shoes then went in the room and Alec looked around. The walls were a soft tan color as was the ceiling and the carpeting and three windows were at the back of the room. The single bed has been stripped with fresh sheets and a blanket and the wardrobe was open. Alec was angry that Lenny's daughter took Lenny's things as he sighed and watched the SOCO team.

"Where is Jake Taylor's room?" Ellie asked.

"It's down the hall," Jason said as she followed him out of the room and some of the SOCO team went with her. Peter looked at Alec when one of the SOCO team saw something behind the wardrobe, but couldn't reach it.

"Shit," she said as Alec walked to her and looked at what she was looking at. He placed blue rubber gloves on when he reached behind the wardrobe and felt something wedged against the wall. With a small tug, he pulled his arm out from behind the wardrobe and looked at the tan envelope in his hand.

"Now this is interesting," he said as Peter moved closer and the SOCO team member handed him a clear plastic evidence bag.

"What's that?" Peter asked as Alec handed the clear plastic evidence bag to the SOCO team member then headed for the door. He headed down the hallway to the room where Jason had taken Ellie as he walked in and Peter followed him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as Alec looked at the SOCO team then walked to the wardrobe. He looked behind the wardrobe when he placed his arm behind it, but didn't feel anything against the wall. Sliding his arm out from behind the wardrobe, he sighed when one of the SOCO team members walked to him and had something in his hand.

"Are you looking for this?" he asked and Alec looked at the tan envelope.

"Where did you find that?" Alec asked.

"It was wedged in the back of one of the dresser drawers."

"Bag it," Alec said and the SOCO team member nodded his head, walking away. Jason looked at him as Alec walked closer and glared at him.

"Show us Ginger Lange's room," Alec said with a small growl to his voice and Jason nodded his head. They left the room as they went to the staircase at the back of the hall and went upstairs. They went down the hallway when one of the doors opened and the young woman Alec had seen in Jason's office came out into the hallway. She looked at Alec when she went back in the room and closed the door. He heard a low click of a lock as he looked at Jason and arched an eyebrow.

"She's shy," Jason said and Ellie took Alec's hand to stop him from punching Jason. They walked down the hallway when Jason opened the door and they went in the room. The walls, ceiling and carpeting was identical to the other rooms, but there were two beds and Alec noticed some toys on the floor. He walked to the table near the window as he looked at the storybooks and saw how battered and torn some of the storybooks look. His heart hurt at the thought of Ellie nearly ending up living in a place like this as he sighed then frowned. Something was sticking out of one of the storybooks as he looked at Jason then back at the storybook and opened the cover. He flipped through the pages when he saw an envelope and picked the envelope up. He looked at one of the SOCO team when he nodded his head and the SOCO team member walked to him. He held the envelope up as the SOCO team member handed him a clear plastic bag and Alec placed the envelope in the clear plastic bag. He walked to Jason as he folded his arms over his chest and sniffed.

"Where is Devon Carson's room?" Alec asked.

"It's upstairs," Jason said as they left the room and went down the hallway. Jason led the way as they went up the stairs and headed down the hallway. Jason opened the door as they went in the room and Peter stood next to Alec.

"Looks like someone's getting nervous," Peter said as he looked at Jason and Alec noticed that Jason's hands were shaking as he unlocked the door.

"Aye, found some envelopes hidden in the rooms," Alec said and clenched his jaw.

"Wonder what's in them," Peter said as they watched the SOCO team, but the room was clean and Alec sighed.

"Where are Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan's rooms?" Alec asked as Jason coughed and walked to the door. He led them down the hallway as they searched the other rooms, but they were clean and Alec pressed his lips together. He headed for the stairs as Peter and Ellie looked at him and Alec went downstairs.

Steve Connelly stood near the stairs outside the Holy Shepherd Center as the door opened and he watched Alec, Ellie, Peter, Brian and the SOCO team come down the stairs. Alec saw him when he sighed then placed his hands in his pockets and walked to him.

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked.

"I…I…Um…," Steve stuttered and looked down at his feet. Alec placed his hand on Steve's shoulder as they walked down the pavement and Alec pressed his lips together. "I had "visitors" last night."

"What did they tell you?" Alec asked as he felt odd talking about ghosts.

"Well, the guy with the dog said he was glad you called his daughter. Ginger said you're on the right track. The other guy said thanks. The four burnt guys said to look again at the camera. I have no idea what that means," Steve said and Alec folded his arms across his chest.

"Is that it?" Alec asked with a blank look on his face.

"Um….No, there was that other woman."

"You mean the one that knows me?"

"Uh, yeah, she said stop stalling and tell her," Steve said and Alec gave him a blank look.

"Go away," Alec said and Steve sighed, walking away. Alec watched him as Ellie walked closer and stood next to him.

"What did he want?" she asked as Alec looked at her then turned on his heels and walked away. Growling, Ellie balled her hands into fists then walked after him and Alec placed his hands in his pockets.

Alexandra didn't know why she woke up as she looked at the clock and saw that it was two fifteen in the morning. Sighing, she turned the light on then moved the bedding back when she got up and shuffled toward the bathroom. She looked toward the closed door when a small chill moved up her spine as she frowned then panic filled her.

"Daddy," she whispered then went to the door and opened the door. She saw the light coming from Alec' room as she half ran to the door and looked in the room. Alec was sitting against the pillows as he read the files and pushed the wire rimmed glasses up with his finger. Files and reports were spread around him on the bed and Alexandra leaned against the doorframe, glaring at him. "You scared the shit out of me."

"What?" Alec asked as he looked and her and placed the report on his lap.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked, walking to the bed and he looked at the clock.

"Shit," he said then took the wire rimmed glasses off and placed the wire rimmed glasses on the night table.

"Did you take your medication?"

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head. "I didnae take the one that helps me sleep. I wanted tae look this over."

"No, you are going to sleep," she said as she started placing the files and reports into piles and picked them up. He watched her place the reports and files on the dresser as he folded his arms over his stomach and frowned.

"I'm nae an invalid," he said as she walked back to the bed and sat down.

"I know that," she said and he glared at her. "This is one of the reasons you got sick in the first place. Mum used to tell me there were times you stayed up all night working on a case."

"I know," he sighed and she placed her hand on top of his.

"Is the case the only thing keeping you awake?" she asked and his eyes slightly bugged out.

"Maybe," he sighed and she arched her eyebrows up. He never thought he would be talking about something like this with his daughter as he frowned and blinked his eyes a few times. "I think…I…There is…Um…I'm involved…"

"Are you telling me that you have a girlfriend?" she asked with a shocked look on her face.

"No," he said then sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Well, I do like someone, but…"

"Who is it?" she asked, wide eyed.

"It's…," he said then pointed toward the wall and she looked at it. She knew where he was pointing as she blinked her eyes a few times and frowned.

"It's Ellie?" she asked and he nodded his head. "When did that happen?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that I like her and miss having her around. I miss having her sons around. I miss waking up and hearing the chaos in the morning and nearly tripping over shite in the hallways. I miss the chatter around the dining table during tea. I miss the arguing over bath time. I miss…"

"Sounds like you miss the life you had with us," Alexandra said softly and he saw the pain in her eyes. Patting the mattress, he watched as she got up then walked around to the other side of the bed and slid onto the bed. She carefully snuggled against him when she placed her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her.

"You're right. I do miss what we had. I'm sorry for messing that up," he said and she glared at him.

"All of it wasn't your fault, you know. Mum had a hand in it."

"But I was the one who…I was…I'm the one who's shut off emotionally. I know that and admit it."

"You're not that bad."

"I have trust issues."

"Gee, so do I," she teased and he frowned.

"You do?"

"Yeah, but I don't let them define who I am."

"You are amazing," he said and she looked at him. "Have I told you that?"

"Once or twice," she said then looked at the wall.

"Why is it so hard for me tae say things?" he asked and she gently placed her hand on his chest. He placed his hand on top of hers and sighed.

"I did take a few courses in psychology and I think it's because you have built up so many walls around this," she said, patting the spot over his heart.

"Aye, that's what our family councilor said. He also said that I only let a few stones fall aside at let people in. When they fall flat of my expectations, I push them away and seal the walls back up."

"You have to stop that."

"I have when it comes tae you," he said and she smiled at him.

"And now you want to let Ellie and the boys in?"

"They're already in, but I think I'll have tae let them go."

"Why?"

"Fred is getting confused. He thinks I'm his father."

"And Ellie wants you to back off so she can help him cope with who his real father is?"

"Aye," Alec sighed.

"And that tears your heart in half."

"Aye, and with the way it is now, that's nae a good thing," he said and she moved her hand out from under his hand and touched the little bump where the pacemaker was.

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"And have her think I'm bonkers?" he asked wide eyed.

"You never know," she said with a smile and he sighed, half closing his eyes. "You tired. Why not close your eyes and get some sleep?"

"Aye," he sighed and she got off the bed. She helped him lay down then covered him with the blankets and duvet and he closed his eyes. She watched him drift off to sleep when she leaned down and kissed the top of the head. He smiled as she turned the light off and walked to the door. The light from her room lit the way as she stood in the doorway then turned and looked at him. Smiling, she patted the doorframe then walked away and the light turned off a few seconds later.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Ellie asked while walking in the inner office and placed the coffee mug on the desk. Alec was looking over one of the files when he looked at her and frowned. He had seen what he looked like when he had gotten up, but did he look so bad that others noticed?

"I drifted off around two thirty," he said then picked up the coffee mug and sipped on the decaf tea.

"Why were you up so late?" she asked, sitting down on the chair in front of the desk. He saw the concern in her eyes as he sighed and placed the coffee mug on the desk.

"I was reviewing the case."

"Until two thirty in the morning?"

"It was more like two fifteen," Alec said and sat back in the chair. "If Alexandra hadnae woken up and thought there was something wrong, I wouldnae have gotten any sleep at all."

"Gee, that's all we need. You being even more grumpy and hard to live with," Ellie said with a small smile and he glared at her.

"I'm nae that bad," he said while poking a finger at her. Pressing her lips together as she tried not to laugh, she nodded her head when the door opened and Peter walked in. He stood in front of the desk as they looked at him and he placed the reports on the desk. "Did they find out what was in those envelopes?"

"It was the missing complaints against Jason Peters and the complaint Ginger Lange made," Peter said and Alec picked up the report.

"Why would Lenny Walker and Jake Taylor have the complaints?"

"They might have been blackmailing him."

"Or they might have been gathering evidence against him," Ellie said and Alec sat back in the chair, puffing out a breath of air.

"No one would have believed them," Alec said.

"And the complaint Ginger Lange was filing would have disappeared with the others," Peter said and Alec nodded his head.

"Do you think Peters knew that she was filing one?" Ellie asked.

"He might have," Alec sighed then thought back to what Steve Connelly said about looking at the CCTV camera footage and pressed his lips together. "Do we have the CCTV footage from the last fire?"

"Yes," Ellie said when Alec stood up and walked to the door. They followed him out of the inner office when he walked to Ellie's desk and she sat down. They watched her typing on the keyboard as she looked at the screen then sat back. The screen was filled with static then cleared while they looked at the footage of the warehouse and Alec titled his head to one side.

"That has tae be Zac Hendricks, Jesse Marshall and Connor Sullivan," he said as he pointed to the screen and they watched the men go in the warehouse. Ellie typed on the keyboard as the footage fast forwarded to the time before the fire and Alec leaned on the back of the chair. "There."

On the screen was a figure in the gray hoodie, jeans and boots and something that looked like gas cans were in their hands. The figure in the gray hoodie headed down the dock when they stopped at the door and Ellie typed on the keyboard to get a closer look at the figure.

"Fuck, I still can't get a good look at their face," Ellie sighed.

"Keep trying," Alec said while they watched the figure as the figure used the keypad then opened the door and went inside the warehouse. "Move the footage back tae just before they get tae the warehouse and see if you can call up the footage from Lenny Walker's death."

"Why?" she asked while typing on the keyboard and Alec silently grumbled about not having the equipment that allowed them to put the footage on a wide screen. He knew a precinct three towns over had equipment like that and made a mental note to ask Elaine about getting the equipment for their precinct.

"I just want tae check something," Alec said as the footage appeared on the screen next to the warehouse footage and he motioned with his hand for her to get up. He sat down while placing his wire rimmed glasses on and leaned close to the screen. He looked at one figure then the other then sat back and placed his hands behind his head. "Does that look odd tae you?"

"It looks the same to me," Ellie said while Peter leaned on the chair and looked closely at the screen.

"Um, the one on the left looks taller," he said then straightened and Alec sat up straighter in the chair.

"That's what I thought," Alec said and Ellie looked at the screen.

"Now that you mention it, this one looks thinner," Ellie said as she pointed to the figure on the right.

"Which means we are dealing with two killers," Peter said and Alec nodded his head.

"Well, the first one has to be Jason Peters," Ellie said as she pointed to the figure on the left.

"Who is the second one?" Peter asked while Bob walked closer and Alec looked at him.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but SOCO is on the phone," he said. "There's been another fire."

Smoke rose from the burnt remains of the car while the fire crew moved the hoses away and left trails of water behind them. A white tarp was lying near the curb as the SOCO team started gathering evidence and the black car stopped at the curb. After the car doors opened, Ellie, Alec and Peter got out of the car and walked to the yellow plastic police tape fluttered in the breeze. Alec lifted the yellow plastic police tape after they showed the officers their identification and they headed for the car.

"Careful," Ellie said as Alec looked down at the fire hose near his feet and frowned, stepping over the hose. One of the fire crew shrugged as Alec glared at him then headed for Brian and Brian could tell he wasn't happy.

"Well?" Alec asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"We got the 999 call an hour ago," Brian said as he looked at the burnt car and frowned.

"Were you able to get anything from the license plate?" Ellie asked.

"We were able to get a partial," Brian said as Alec nodded his head and walked to the white tarp. Going onto his haunches, he looked at the white tarp as one of the SOCO team handed him a pair of blue plastic gloves and he placed the blue plastic gloves on.

"Have you found any bullet casings?" he asked, looking at the SOCO member.

"Not yet," he said and Alec nodded his head, gently lifting the edge of the white tarp. He never winced at the sight of a burnt body as he looked at the body and blinked his eyes a few times. Placing the white tarp down, Alec stood up and walked to Ellie and Peter, taking the blue plastic gloves. He looked at the crowds gathered behind the yellow police tape as he handed the blue plastic gloves to one of the SOCO team and headed for the crowd. Olly was chatting with one of the fire crew when he saw Alec coming closer and backed away a few feet.

"I have a right to be here," Olly said and Alec sniffed, rolling his eyes.

"I didnae say otherwise," Alec said then lifted the yellow police tape for him to go under. Olly shrugged then ducked under the yellow police tape and Alec told the officer that he knew Olly. They walked away as Olly looked at the car and frowned.

"So, what do you think? Could it have been a car bomb?" Olly asked, tilting his head to one side.

"I have no information one way or the other," Alec said then stopped to look at him. "Did the fire crew say anything?"

"No, they still need to check the wreckage," Olly said then looked at the car. "Do you think this has anything to do with those murders?"

"Again, I have no information."

"Is it me or does this look like someone is playing games? I mean you guys have three separate cases now, but they can be connected. Am I right?"

"You'd make a great DI," Alec said and Olly saw just a hint of a smile on his face.

"I wanted to be a cop, like Aunt Ellie, but…" Olly said and Alec glared at him. "Sorry, I meant DI Benson."

"What stopped you?"

"My mom wouldn't let me. She said one cop in the family was enough," Olly sighed and Alec titled his head to one side.

"Come on," Alec said as they headed for Ellie and Peter and Ellie gave Alec a puzzled look.

"What is he doing here?" she asked.

"I decided tae give him an exclusive," Alec said and Olly slightly smiled. "Has SOCO found anything?"

"No, but we have been questioning the people who live around here. The owner of the car lives over there," Peter said as he pointed to the house where the car was and Alec started walking. Olly, Ellie and Peter followed him when Alec stopped at the front door and looked at Olly.

"Stay," he said as he pointed his finger at Olly and Olly frowned, nodding his head. Alec checked over the door, under the front mat then checked a covered flower pot sitting on the top of a milk box and removed a handkerchief from his pocket. He carefully slid his hand into the flower pot when he removed a key ring with a large, pink plastic flower on the end and used the key to open the door. One of the SOCO team had followed them as he handed the key ring to him and the SOCO team member placed the key ring in a plastic evidence bag. The SOCO team member handed them blue plastic rubber gloves and shoe booties as they placed the blue plastic rubber gloves and shoe booties on then went inside the house. Two more SOCO members came in as they went to work gathering evidence and Alec looked at the front room.

The walls and ceiling were painted white and the light colored hard wood flooring went from the front room into the dining room and the kitchen was to the right of the dining room. The stairs leading up to the second floor was also light colored hard wood and Alec placed his hand on the railing, looking up the staircase. He carefully walked up the stairs as he looked at the three bedrooms when he walked to the bedroom at the end of the hallway and stood in the doorway. The walls and ceiling were painted a soft almond color and the room had a feminine feel to it. Alec walked to the king size bed that sat at the back of the room and two night tables sat on either side of the bed. He looked at the clock radio, glass vase with a single rose in it and the picture frame on the night table when he picked up the picture frame and looked at the photograph. Susan Kane and Jesse Marshall smiled at him as anger boiled inside his chest and he placed the picture frame face down on the night table. A SOCO team member walked in the room as Alec walked by him then Alec went downstairs and Ellie saw that he was furious.

"Nae here," he growled as they followed him out of the house and headed down the front walk with Olly following close behind them. Alec stopped when he saw the fire vehicles heading down the street and Alec walked to Brian. "What's going on?"

"There's been another fire," Brian said and looked at Alec with a sad look on his face. "It's the Holy Shepherd Center."

The black car stopped at the curb when the car doors opened and Alec, Ellie, Peter and Olly got out of the car. The police officers stood near the yellow police tape while the crowds watched the fire crew fighting the fire and clouds of black smoke rose out of the smashed windows. Peter noticed that most of the crowd consisted of people who lived at the center and Reverend Coates walked toward Alec.

"I know that I'm not supposed to be here, but I had to come and see what was going on," he told Alec and Alec slowly nodded his head.

"Is this everyone?" Alec asked as he motioned with his head toward the crowds.

"Yeah, but I can't find Jason Peters or Susan Kane," Paul said, scanning the crowds.

"We think Susan Kane is already dead," Ellie said and Paul frowned, placing his hands behind his back. They watched the fire crew when two of the fire crew brought a black plastic body bag out of the building and headed for the larger fire truck. People whispered to each other as they try to figure out whose body they brought out and Alec scanned the crowd. Frowning, he saw the young woman he had seen in Peters' office and she was sitting on a motorcycle. She watched the fire crew then turned to look at him and she tilted her head to one side. A bone chilling shiver moved through him as she smiled then placed the helmet on. She started the motorcycle as people watched then the motorcycle headed down the street and Alec growled.

"She's getting away," he said then headed for the black car and Ellie, Peter and Olly ran to catch up with him. Alec opened the passenger door as he slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. Ellie got in the car as she closed the driver's side door and placed the seatbelt on. Olly and Peter got in the back as they placed the seatbelts on and Alec pointed toward the motorcycle. Nodding her head, Ellie started the car and the black car headed down the street.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The motorcycle weaved in and out of traffic while the black car followed the motorcycle and Ellie was glad she had the magnetized light for the top of the car. The swirling blue light made the other vehicles move out of the way and she held the steering wheel tightly in her hands. Alec watched the road as he placed one hand on the dashboard and held onto the seat with the other hand. Ellie noticed the shocked look on his face as she glanced at him and he arched his eyebrows up.

"Where the bloody hell is she going?" Peter asked as the motorcycle soared by a large lorry and the air horn blasted loudly in their ears.

"I think she's heading for the beach," Olly said as he held onto the back of the driver's seat.

"Have you called for backup?" Alec asked and Peter nodded his head. The motorcycle turned into the drive that led to the docks as the black car followed then the motorcycle stopped. They watched the young woman get off the motorcycle as she ran toward the docks and the black car stopped. Getting out of the car, Peter took off after the young woman as Ellie looked at Olly and Alec and saw the look in Alec' eyes. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you are staying here with him," Ellie said as she pointed to Olly then ran to catch up with Peter. Olly looked at Alec as Alec stood there with his arms folded over his chest and anger in his eyes.

"Are you really going to let her talk to us like that?" Olly asked.

"No," Alec said as he walked away and Olly smiled, half running to catch up with him.

Peter's heart slammed in his chest as he chased after the young woman and Ellie was close behind him. Natalie had teased him about taking up jogging, but it kept him in shape and he ran a little faster. The young woman ran around the corner as Ellie ran by him then went around the corner and Peter sighed, slowing to a halt.

"Shit," he said while leaning against the wall and placed back his head.

"You ok?" Olly said as Peter glanced at him and Alec and nodded his head.

"Where did Benson go?" Alec asked and Peter pointed. Peter and Olly were surprised as Alec started a slow run and went around the corner. Puffing out a long breath of air, Peter kicked off the wall and he and Olly ran to catch up with him.

Ellie ran faster as the young woman pushed one of the metal bin to the ground and the metal bin in the ground with a loud bang. Growling, Ellie ran around the metal bin when the young woman ran toward one of the boat rental places and ran down the dock.

"Oi, you have to pay for that!" the tall man shouted as the young woman jumped into the rental boat at the end of the dock, cast off the line, started the engine and the boat sailed away.

"Shit," Ellie panted as she came to a stop and the tall man stormed over to her.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded then his eyes widened when she showed him her identification.

"I need to accommodate one of your boats," she said as he nodded then saw Alec, Peter and Olly coming toward them.

"For the four of you then?" he asked and Ellie turned to look at Alec, Peter and Olly.

"No, just…"

"Aye, the four of us," Alec said and the tall man nodded his head.

"Do you need a driver?"

"Yes," Ellie said.

"Take that one," the tall man said, pointing to the boat near the end of the dock. "Tell Donny that I said you can use it."

Nodding, Ellie led the way as they headed for the boat and Alec walked next to her. Donny Lynch was as tall as Alec and had a round face, a small nose, thin lips and a gold loop dangled from his right earlobe. He was wearing jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt and he was shocked when Ellie showed him her identification and told him what was going on. Handing them some life vests, Donny hopped in the boat and Ellie saw the look in Alec's eyes.

_You need to reclaim the water._

Breathing deeply through his nose, Alec stepped carefully into the boat while holding onto Ellie's hand and sat down on the seat. The sounds of sirens filled the air as Donny cast the line then started the engine and the boat sailed across the water. The other boat didn't have much of a head start as Alec held onto the seat and felt his stomach bounce each time the boat bobbed on the water. Ellie patted his leg as he looked at her then looked straight ahead and Olly wondered why Alec looked like he wanted to be anywhere then on the water.

"Is he going to be sick?" Olly whispered to Ellie while looking at Alec and she shook her head. She knew that Alec didn't want anyone else to know why he looked so pale and he slid his hand over her hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around hers.

"She shouldn't have taken that boat," Donny half shouted over the sound of the engine and Peter gave him a puzzled look.

"Why?" Peter asked.

"It's got a hole in the bottom. The boss forgot to put it up on blocks. She keeps going, she'll sink like a rock," Donny said as they looked at the boat stopping a few yards in front of them. The young woman was standing up as she used the bucket she had found to scoop the water out of the boat and Donny cut the engine, allowing the boat to float closer. "Need some help, Miss?"

The young woman dropped the bucket when she slowly turned to face them and Alec saw the look in her eyes.

"You can give me that boat," she said as she drew the gun out of the back of her jeans and pointed it at Donny.

"Let's not do anything stupid," Ellie said as the young woman pointed the gun at her and Ellie raised her hands in the air. "What's your name?"

"Shut up and get in the water," the young woman said while motioning with the gun for them to get in the water and Alec glared at her.

"No," he said as he stood up and nearly fell as the boat moved under his feet. Ellie watched as he slowly walked by her and the young woman held the gun tightly in both hands.

"Take one more step and I'll shoot!" she half shouted and Alec looked at the other boat.

"Either way, one of us is going in the water," he said as he pointed to the boat and she looked down. Before anyone could say anything, Alec placed his foot on the edge of the boat then quickly jumped over to the other boat and grabbed the young woman's wrist. She growled while he applied pressure then she let go of the gun and the gun fell to their feet. Alec was surprised that the safety was on as he reached into his coat pocket and brought out a pair of handcuffs. He placed her hands behind her back and had just snapped them closed on her wrists when she turned around, lowered her head and slammed her head into his stomach.

"Alec!" Peter and Ellie shouted as he fell into the water and sank. The dark water swirled around him and he looked up then pressed his lips together and balled his hands into fist. With blood pounding in his ears, he started swimming toward the surface and was glad he took in a lung full of air before he sank. The surface wasn't that far as his head broke the surface and he reached up to take hold of the boat. He was breathing hard and fast as his heart slammed in his chest and he felt the jolt from the pacemaker as it tried to slow his heart down.

"You ok," Olly said, looking at him and Alec saw that Ellie had gotten hold of the young woman and had dragged her into their boat.

"Aye," Alec sighed as he placed his forehead against the boat then closed his eyes and tried hard not to pass out.

"Finished," Olly said as Maggie came down the stairs and headed for his desk. He had been shocked when Peter and Ellie allowed him to watch the interrogation in the observation room and they had found out the young woman's name was Hannah Becker. A city appointed solicitor was sitting next to her as they questioned her about the murders and she told them Jason Peters was responsible for most of the murders. What scared Olly was the coldness to her voice, the dull look in her eyes and how she turned to the two way mirror, smiling like she could see him.

"Let's have a look," Maggie said as she leaned on the chair and scanned the article. Ellie had told him just how much of the story he could tell and he leaned back on the chair, looking at the screen.

"I couldn't tell everything," he sighed and Maggie looked at him.

"You told enough," she said and patted his shoulder. "Save it and we'll run it on the front page in the morning edition."

Nodding his head, Olly saved the article when his smart phone vibrated and he removed the smart phone from his pocket. He looked at the text when he smiled and turned the smart phone off. After Ellie had gotten hold of Hannah and Alec had come to the surface, the water patrol boats arrived and they helped get everyone to shore. Ellie panicked after Alec was helped on board then passed out and had been taken to the hospital. Turning the computer off, Olly got up when he placed his leather jacket on and headed for the door. Ellie had text him to come to the hospital. Alec wanted to talk to him.

"Will you stop?" Alec demanded as he swatted at Alexandra's hands and she ruffled his hair. He remembered the water patrol guys helping him out of the water then feeling dizzy, but waking up in the hospital only made him angry. He insisted that he was fine and wanted to go home, but the doctor insisted that he stay for some tests.

"Let her fuss," Ellie said as he glared at her and folded his arms over his chest.

"I want tae go home," he grumbled, frowning.

"Tomorrow," Alexandra said.

"Take…me…home," he growled and pushed back the blankets.

"The doctor said…."

"He told me that my pacemaker is functioning normally, that my heart is fine and all I need is rest. I can do that at home," he said and glared at them. "Fine, I'll check myself out."

He didn't understand why they were smiling at each other and titled his head to one side.

"What?"

"I thought you might so I have a guard posted outside the door with orders to stop you," Ellie said.

"I out rank them…and you," he said, pointing a finger at her.

"While you are in here, I am in charge and I am ordering you to stay put," she said, pointing a finger at him when Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson walked in the room and Alec rolled his eyes.

"Great, this is all I need," Alec sighed.

"How is he?" Elaine asked, standing at the foot of the bed.

"The doctor said he over did it," Ellie said and smiled at Alec.

"I see," Elaine said and gave Alec a blank look. "Is this the sort of behavior permanent?"

"What did you want tae do? Sit behind the desk and do nothing?" Alec asked with an angry look on his face.

"No, I expect you to act with a bit of sense. What you did was just plain reckless," she said with an angry tone.

"I was doing my job."

"And you ended up in the hospital."

"I'm nae made of glass."

"I never said you were."

"Then stop treating me like I am," he said and folded his arms over his chest, making Elaine smile.

"Now, I want you to listen to your doctor and take a few days off," she said then walked around the bed and hugged him. He was a little stunned, but hugged her and she moved back. Nodding her head, she walked to the door then left then room and Alec puffed out a breath of air.

"Are you going to stay?" Ellie asked when the door opened and Olly walked in the room.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Olly said as he stood next to the bed and Alec leaned back against the pillows.

"Aye, I was wondering if you finished the article," Alec said.

"Yeah, Maggie said it was going to be on the front page in the morning edition."

"Did you mention what happened after the water patrol picked us up?"

"You mean about you passing out?" Olly asked and Alec nodded. "No, I left that out."

"Good," Alec said then yawned and rubbed his face with his hands. "Sorry."

"We should go," Ellie said, but he shook his head and sighed.

"Nae just yet," he said then looked at Olly and pressed his lips together. "I've been thinking and I thought it was time for the precinct to have a press liaison. Interested?"

"You want…You…I'm the press liaison?" Olly asked with a shocked look on his face.

"I just said that," Alec said with a blank look on his face.

"Well, Olly, say something," Ellie said with a smile.

"Fuck, are you sure?" Olly asked.

"Aye," Alec said, arching his eyebrows up and Olly nodded. "Good, now get out."

Ellie and Alexandra softly laughed as Alexandra hugged Alec then they left and Alec pressed the button to lower the bed. He wasn't really tired as he looked at the ceiling and sighed. He thought about everything that had happened to him over the last four years as he placed his hands behind his head and pressed his lips together. Blinking, he looked over at the heart monitor then reached over and found that he could turn the heart monitor off and on. Looking at the door, he turned the heart monitor off when he got up, removed the wires, found his clothes, got dressed and walked to the door. Opening the door, he stood in the doorway and PC Bob Daniels turned around, looking at him.

"Do you need something, Sir?" he asked and Alec sighed, rolling his eyes.

"No," he said just as the nurse came running down the hallway and stopped beside them.

"What are you doing out of bed?" she asked, looking at Alec.

"I think he was going to sneak out," Bob said and Alec glared at him.

"Let's get you back to bed," the nurse said and led Alec back in the room, closing the door behind them. Looking at the door for a few seconds then leaning against the wall, Bob softly laughed at how much trouble Alec was in once Ellie found out and sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

(A few days later)

"Let's see if I got this straight," Robert said as he sat back in the chair and folded his arms over his stomach. "Jason Peters killed the first three because they had proof that he was a sexual pervert and were going tae the cops."

"Yep," Peter said, popping the "p".

"And the woman you caught told him how to burn the bodies and make it look like arson?"

"Aye, that is why the sand around the boats had been changed into glass, but nae around the bodies."

"And she killed the other guys because they had gang raped her and she was going tae make it look like Peters had done it?"

"Aye," he said, nodding his head. "Since they raped her in the warehouses, she knew the combination to turn the security systems off and she knew where Peters kept the gun if she needed tae get her hands on it."

"And he was using her as one of his sex toys."

"That's why she killed him."

"But who killed his receptionist?"

"He did. Kane was going tae come tell us what was going on."

"Did they find out who that woman was?" Robert asked as Peter looked up from the file and removed the wire rimmed glasses.

"Aye, it turned out that she was an escaped mental patient who had killed her family by setting them on fire," Peter said and Robert whistled.

"Did Peters know that?"

"Aye," Peter said with a nod of his head.

"Did anyone else know?"

"According tae Ellie, there was an alert posted tae their precinct, but the DI before Alec had lost it."

"Shit, and here I said being O.E. would be no big deal," Robert said and Peter smiled at him.

"Well, if missing out on all the fun bothers you that much. The next time it's for Broadchurch, you're going," Peter said and Robert laughed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-one

The sound of the door opening made him open his eyes as Alec watched Ellie lead Fred in the room and Alec pushed the button to make the bed move up into a sitting position. Fred looked a little frightened as Alec sighed and folded his arms over his chest.

"You can come closer," he said and Fred slowly moved toward the bed.

"I'll be outside," Ellie said as she left the room and the door closed behind her. Fred looked at Alec when Alec titled his head to one side and glanced at the chair. Fred walked to the chair when he used the chair to climb onto the bed and sat on Alec' legs. The heart monitor had been removed and Alexandra had brought Alec his favorite t-shirt and pajamas bottoms and Fred looked down at Alec' stomach.

"I'm alright," Alec finally said and Fred slightly smiled. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Mommy said that you got knocked in the water," Fred said and Alec nodded his head.

"Guess I'm nae ready for swimming," he said with a tiny smile. "Fred, look at me."

Fred looked at him and Alec took hold of his hands.

"You mom told me that you think I'm your daddy,"

"Yeah, but she sat down with me and Tom and told us about…him." Fred said and Alec saw the anger in Fred's eyes. "I don't like him."

"I dinnae really blame you," Alec said then sighed. "My father's nae my favorite person either."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you later," Alec said and gently swung Fred's hands back and forth. "I'd like tae Alec again, ok?"

"Ok," Fred said then sighed and looked down. "Know what I would like?"

"What?" Alec asked and Fred looked at him.

"I would like you to be my daddy."

"Well," Alec said then pressed his lips together and his eyes widened a bit. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah," Fred said, nodding his head.

"I like your mommy."

"You do?!" he asked with wide eyes.

"Aye, but I dinnae think she likes me."

"Want me to ask her?" Fred asked and Alec gave him a stunned look.

"No," he said, elongating the "o". "But, if we did start…dating, it would be alright with you?"

"Yep!" Fred said with a wide grin and Alec smiled. The door opened when Ellie walked back in then stood at the foot of the bed and looked at them.

"Is everything ok?" she asked while Fred sat on the bed next to Alec and Alec placed his arm around Fred.

"Yep," Fred said then looked at Alec. "Right, Alec?"

"Aye," Alec said and Ellie smiled, folding her arms over her chest.

Alec slowly walked by the headstones as the wind blew through his hair when he finally stopped and looked down. Kneeling down on his haunches, Alec picked the weeds away from the headstone as he mentally made a note to ask Coates if he would make sure the grave was maintained then looked at the name on the headstone and placed his hand on the cold stone.

SARAH FRANCES HARDY – BELOVED WIFE OF FERGUS AND BELOVED MOTHER OF ALEC JAMES

He looked at the dates underneath as the memory of his father pushing the wheelchair the doctors wanted Alec to use for a few days to the grave then explaining why she wasn't coming home with them. The angry he felt then came bubbling to the surface as he growled and his heart slammed hard and fast in his chest.

"_You fucking bastard,"_ he thought then sighed and looked up at the sky. He closed his eyes for a few seconds then opened them and looked at the headstone. He placed the flowers he had brought with him against the headstone then sat down and placed his wrists on top of his knees.

The sky was clear as the stars twinkled in the darkness and the door opened. Elle walked down the steps then walked down the front path, headed down the pavement and placed her hands in her jeans pockets. It had been a week since Alec had been released from the hospital and she was amazed that he had stayed home. There had been a pool to see when he could come back, but he hadn't and she wondered if he was coming back.

Alec was sitting on the stoop in front of his house and he was wearing jeans, a gray hoodie and white converse sneakers. He was holding onto the top of the water bottle as he looked straight ahead and watched her coming closer. She saw the sadness in his eyes when she stopped and he titled his head to one side.

"Mind if I sit?" she asked as he took a long drink of water then moved over. Sitting down, Ellie looked at him when he placed the bottle on the step and his hands dangled between his knees.

"How's Coates?" Alec asked finally.

"He's fine. He told me that he came to see you at the hospital."

"Aye, he heard what happened and wanted to say thanks for getting monitoring bracelet off."

"He also told me he fell asleep."

"Aye, he asked if it was ok to pray for me and I told it was alright. He fell asleep half way through," he said and she smiled, looking at the empty space where Alexandra's car was parked.

"I see that Alexandra's car's gone."

"Aye, but she'll be back. She found a university in the next town over and went tae get her stuff," he said.

"So you're getting a roommate?" Ellie teased and he nodded his head. "And you're ok with it?"

"Aye," he said and scratched the back of his head.

"I ask because I know how much you like your privacy and independence."

"It's nae like she's becoming my caregiver. She can come and go as she pleases," he said then picked up the bottle of water and took a long drink. "The same goes for me."

"You've changed," she said and he gave her a puzzled look.

"I have?"

"Yes, though you still are a grumpy, slightly insensitive pain in the ass."

"Aye, I am," he said with a nod of his head. She moved closer while he watched then slid his arm around her shoulders and looked up at the stars. She was shocked, but like his closeness and looked at his profile.

"We miss you at the precinct. Are you coming back?"

"You seem tae be running things fine without me."

"But I'm not you. When you give orders, they snap to it and get it done. With me, it's Ok, Ellie, I'll get to it when I have time," she said and he frowned.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a nod of her head.

"Then I better get back tae work," he said and she smiled.

"You know, you never told me why it would be a problem for you to stay out of my life and my sons' lives."

"It doesnae matter," he said as he lowered his head and she glared at him.

"It does so! Why is it a problem?"

"It…I…," he said as he lowered his arm then turned to face her. "I just dinnae want tae."

"Why?"

"You wouldnae understand."

"Try me."

"It's because I…I…Oh fuck," he said then looked up at the sky, tightly closed his eyes then opened them. "I like you."

Now that he confessed how he felt, Alec wondered if she thought he was crazy, but she moved closer and gently placed her hand on top of his hand.

"You like me?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"You said it yourself that we're friends, and I know that you care, but…but…Fuck, I miss having you around."

"I haven't gone anywhere," she said and he looked at her.

"You're over there," he said, pointing to her house.

"You miss living with me?"

"Aye," he sighed.

"You miss the chaos?"

"Aye, I miss waking up with Fred standing by the bed with this big smile on his face because I woke up. I miss stepping over Tom's shite as I went from the front room tae the kitchen. I miss you yelling for Tom to get a move on so you can get him off so he doesnae miss the bus. I miss the fights over what they wanted for breakfast, lunch, dinner or tea. I even miss story time before Fred went tae bed," he said then sighed and looked at her. "Guess you think I'm bloody daft."

"No, I don't," she said then looked down. "To be honest, I've missed having you around, too. For the longest time you were the only friend I had around here. It took a long time before most people would even talk to me. It was true that there were days you scared the fuck out of me because you needed your pacemaker adjusted, but you would just squeeze my fingers and give me this look like everything was going to be ok. When you went back to Sandbrook, I felt like I lost my best friend…again. Speaking of that, why did you come back? You said that missing Broadchurch was one reason. Was missing us the other reason?"

"It was the second reason," he said then pressed his lips together. He thought about how to explain why he really had to return to Broadchurch when he brushed his face with his hands and puffed out a breath of air. "When I went back tae Sandbrook, I found out that I lost my flat because I was gone for so long. Jackie was able tae get my stuff, but my landlord had sold my furniture. I really didnae care because most of it was crap and so was the flat. I was pissed off that she had to sell my car, but I didnae need it."

"So you had nowhere to live?"

"No, Jackie said I could stay with her and Alexandra and I ended up sleeping in the den. It wasnae so bad because it had its own loo," he said and she softly giggled.

"Was it hard living with them?"

"Well, it was hard living with the guy Jackie had the affair with. He had moved in shortly after I left."

"Shit."

"He's nae so bad and he treats Jackie and Alexandra well. What made me smile was he would call me "Sir" whenever he saw me."

"Well, you were his boss," she said and he nodded his head.

"Jackie suggested we go see a councilor that dealt with family problems."

"Did it help?"

"Aye, but Jackie and I realized after a few dates that, even though we did love each other, the trust we had was gone."

"What about Alexandra?"

"I forgot was how smart she was. She figured out who really had the affair and who really lost that fucking pendant. She was mad at me, but understood why I did it."

"And that's why you came back?" she asked and Alec shook his head. Memories flashed through his mind as he sighed, picked up the water bottle and took a long drink of water.

"No, that was the death threats," he said and her eyes widened.

"You were getting death threats?" she asked and he nodded his head, placing the bottle of water on the step.

"It started with a few weird phone calls then threatening letters taped on the windshield of Jackie's car. We had the calls traced, but the calls were made from phone booths all over town and the caller was careful around the CCTV cameras. The letters were clean, so they couldnae trace them either."

"All that must have been stressful," she said as she reached over and placed her hand against his chest. She could just feel his heart thumping against her hand as he looked down, covered her hand with his hand then looked at her.

"Aye, my chest hurt and I was getting dizzy again."

"Did Jackie take you to the hospital?"

"Aye and my doctor told me I had tae leave town or I'd need a second pacemaker."

"Fuck."

"He also told me flat out that I wouldnae survive the surgery," he said and saw the shock in her eyes.

"Did they ever find whoever was threatening you?"

"Jackie insisted being in charge of the investigation and they found out that it was one of the mothers from the Sandbrook case. Jackie also learned she had come here after Beth Latimer called her."

"Why would Beth do that?"

"It was because she wanted tae talk with someone who knew what she was going through. When I came back here, I saw her and asked. She admitted calling her, but she was shocked with how crazy the woman was. She told me that the woman blamed me for every bad thing that happened after her daughter died and she wanted her tae stay away from me."

"It's a good thing she didn't listen to her."

"Aye," he said then sighed. "Jackie brought the woman in for questioning and she confessed."

"What happened to her?"

"There was a trail and she was placed in a maximum security mental hospital. She had tae be dragged out of the courtroom and she screamed that she hoped I would die a slow, painful death."

"That bitch," Ellie said and Alec nodded his head. There was one more thing Ellie wanted to know as she sighed and brushed the hair out of Alec' eyes. "You never told me who caused the boating accident."

"Why do you want tae know?"

"I'm curious," she said and he sighed.

"It was Peter's brothers."

"I didn't know he had brothers."

"That's because they were arrested and sent tae prison."

"Where did they get the boat?"

"They had gone tae the next town and met some girls. One of the girls' fathers had a boat and they borrowed it."

"They stole it."

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head. "The police report stated that if they had been going any faster, they would have killed us. Luckily they stopped after hitting us and called for help."

"You must have been so scared," she said, gently stroking his hair.

"I was unconscious. Peter told me what happened after I woke up."

"Your parents must have been a wreck."

"My dad was fucking furious. He punched my cousin in the face, broke his jaw and threatened tae sue my uncle for child endangerment."

"How long were they in jail?"

"Three of my cousins got five years, but my oldest cousin got life imprisonment."

"For stealing a boat?" she asked with wide eyes.

"He was also charged with involuntary manslaughter," he sighed and she gave him a confused look.

"He killed someone?"

"Aye," Alec said then took a drink of water. "It was my mother."

"Was she with you on the boat?"

"No," he said then pressed his lips together. The memory of Peter's mother coming in the hospital room and telling him what happened filled his mind as he sighed and Ellie saw tears in the corners of his eyes. "When we got tae shore, there were EMTs, ambulances, fire trucks, police cars and news vans and my father charged down the dock, demanding tae know what happened. My aunts got in the ambulance with me and Campbell when…"

"Wait, I thought Peter was with you."

"They both were," he said and looked at the dark sky for a few seconds then looked at her. "While they were putting us in the ambulance, my aunts heard someone screaming and saw my dad running to where my mother was. She had fallen to the ground and the paramedics were working on her."

"She was dead?"

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head. "My dad had an autopsy done and they found out she had a fetal stroke. He was so furious that he demanded my cousins be tried for murder."

"And your oldest cousin was found guilty?"

"Aye, my aunt and uncle were so pissed off, but that wasnae the end of it."

"It wasn't?"

"No," he said then took another drink of water. "My dad didnae take my mother back tae Scotland for burial."

"Where is she buried?" she asked and he lowered his head. She gently lifted his chin as he sighed and she saw such sadness in his eyes.

"Here," he said softly and her eyes widened.

"She's buried here?"

"Aye," he said and she brushed the hair from his eyes. "My father took me tae see her grave before we left. When we got back tae Glasgow, he fought like hell tae keep me. My aunt wanted me tae live with them, but the court awarded custody tae my dad. He vowed that I would never see them again, but the court ruled that I needed them and they had supervised visits because my dad was afraid they would take me."

"Now I understand why you ended up this way," she said and was surprised that he allowed her to hug him. He moved away as she softly smiled at him and he took a long drink of water.

"Um, now that you know how I feel. Do you like me?" he asked, wrapping his fingers around hers. Looking him in the eyes, Ellie moved closer when she gently kissed him and he let go of her hand. He gently held her head in his hands as they deepened the kiss then moved back and she smiled at him. She had never noticed the freckles hidden under his dark stubble or how cute he looked when his face softened and his eyes became a soft, chocolate brown. "I guess you do."

"Yes, I do, but we're going to take this slow. We both have been through shit and we need to see if this is real or just us compensating for what happened. Is that alright with you?" she asked and he nodded his head. She moved closer to kiss him again as her fingers slid through his hair and he softly moaned in her mouth. Moving back, he watched her get up then walked down the front path when she walked to her house and walked up the stairs, going inside. Ellie leaned against the door as she thought about kissing Alec and a smile spread across her face.

Standing up, Alec pressed his lips together as he thought about kissing Ellie then smiled and opened the door, going in the house and closed the door behind him. Neither Ellie nor Alec noticed the woman dressed in jeans, sandals and a white t-shirt standing across the street as her dark brown hair moved in an invisible wind and a small smile spread across her face. Turning, she walked into the darkness and slowly faded away.


End file.
